The Game
by Jen1008
Summary: Danny encounters a woman whose secrets wreak havoc on his life and the lives of those closest to him. My first fanfic. It's a bit dark in places which is why it is rated M, but for the most part, I just allude to the dark stuff.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Game

Rating: M (for language, strong sexual situations, and violence)

Disclaimer: WAT is own by CBS/WB. I'm just borrowing the characters, especially Danny.

Note: The story takes place sometime after season three, but Elena doesn't exist. And definitely Danny/OC-centered, but all the characters and canon elements may pop up.

* * *

Nervously tapping her foot on the expensive Oriental rug, Lauren Palmer took a generous sip from her glass. The vodka was still ice cold from her freezer, just the way she liked it. Liking the way to first drink made her feel, she quickly drained the glass in one long gulp. Anxiously, she rose from the Corinthian leather sofa and made her way into the kitchen. She took the Grey Goose vodka from the freezer and filled the glass again. Closing her eyes, she tried to savor the next sip. Then, she heard a knock at the door, and her heart began to beat even faster. After taking a deep breath, she drained her second straight vodka in five minutes.

Her golden hair was up in a loose twist, so she nervously tucked some stray hair behind her ear as she walked to the door. Before opening the door, she tightened the sash of her long, black silk Ralph Lauren robe.

She opened the door, but didn't greet the visitor with words or a smile. She knew by the looks of him that he was who she'd been told to expect. She opened the wider to let him enter.

As he walked in, he frowned as he looked her up and down. "You're not what I was expecting," he said, not taking his eyes off of her.

"No?" she responded as she closed the door.

"Not at all. My guy told me that a dude set this up."

Lauren nodded. "That's right."

The attractive, well-built man looked around the spacious loft apartment. "So what gives?"

"Does it really matter who set it up?"

"I like to be prepared," the man answered. "I was expecting a guy. Had I known I'd be entertaining a chick, I would have prepared differently."

Rolling her eyes, she responded, "Don't worry. You're exactly what he wants. I'm not the one you have to prepare for."

"So there is a guy involved?" he asked curiously. His lips curved into a sly smile as he continued, "What? Will this be a threesome?"

Lauren sighed slightly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Not exactly," she answered cryptically.

The young man shook his head as he backed toward the door. "Look, I'm up for just about anything, but I like to know what's going on in advance. If this is some kind of role-playing thing, where a jealous husband pretends to catch us in the act…then I need to know, so I don't crack someone's skull later."

Lauren finally smiled. "You've got quite an imagination, but that's not what this is. It will just be us in the bedroom, but he'll be watching the whole time. He likes to watch. That's his thing. Before we go in there," she said, motioning toward the bedroom, "I'll tell you everything he wants you to do to me."

The young man smiled. "So he hired you, too?"

"He didn't hire me. He owns me."

* * *

If the situation had been different, Lauren would never be attracted to someone like this. He looked like an underwear model with rippled muscles and a strong jawline. Jesse--he'd told her his name when she could have cared less--was shorter than she preferred as well, but this wasn't about what she was attracted to. Lately, the men that came to the loft all looked different: some short, some tall, some white, some black or hispanic. The only stipulation was that it was a different man each time, and there were only so many male prostitutes in Manhattan.

When the game first started, the man made her pick up strangers in bars and clubs. But this became a problem because some of the strangers wanted more than a one-night stand. So then the man started arranging for the male prostitutes.

After she informed Jesse about the rules of the game, she led him into the bedroom. Once they entered the room, then Jesse would be in complete control. That's how the game worked.

Jesse walked towards her, and then stopped in front of her at the foot of the bed. He seemed unsure for a moment, so Lauren whispered, "You won't get paid unless you do this exactly how we discussed."

He nodded slightly and then cleared his throat. In a deeper, more commanding tone than she'd heard him use in the living room, he ordered, "Take off your robe."

Obediently, Lauren untied the robe and then let it fall off her shoulders to reveal a lacey black bra and panties.

"Now get on your knees, bitch," the young man said with as much callousness as he could muster.

Lauren dropped to her knees as Jesse took a seat on the edge of the bed.

* * *

At first, Jesse was hesitant to play the game the way it was supposed to be played – some of the men were hesitant at first. But then they would quickly realize this was one of their few opportunities to dominate someone completely. So Jesse eventually rose to the occasion and did just what Lauren had told him to do.

Two hours later, she was lying on her stomach with her hands cuffed to either side of the bedpost. Jesse was on top of her, finishing, with one hand squeezing her breast and the other pulling her hair. She could feel his sweat-slick skin against her back. She winced each time he'd grunt and ram himself deep inside of her. She didn't pretend to enjoy it. That wasn't part of the game. But she did let out a deep breath as he thrust one last time before collapsing in a heap on top of her.

At first, she feared that he'd passed out because he didn't move for at least two minutes. But finally, he pulled out of her. She listened as he stalked into the bathroom to remove the condom.

When Jesse returned to the room, he asked, "We done?"

Lauren just nodded, keeping her head on the pillow so he wouldn't see the tear falling down her cheek.

The young man then walked over to the bedside table. "Where are the keys?" he asked, referring to the cuffs that were still restraining her wrists.

"Just get dressed and get out. Your money is on the table by the front door."

She heard Jesse stifle an uncomfortable laugh. "You sure?"

"I said, get out. Now."

"Fine. Whatever. That was the easiest grand I've ever made," he said as he gathered his clothes and headed for the door.

Minutes later, Lauren heard the front door open and close. Seconds after that, the door that doubled as a two-way mirror opened.

She heard the ice in his glass clink before she actually heard him. And then she felt the bed dip as he sat down next to her.

"I have to find a better source. They fags they send don't know how to fuck worth a damn."

Lauren stopped herself from saying something flippant. She just wanted the night to be over, and if she angered him, then he'd want to stay and teach her a lesson.

"I could go back to the clubs," she finally responded.

"Maybe," he said as he took another drink from his glass of scotch.

Lauren shifted slightly, hoping that he'd uncuff her. But instead he just sat there, finishing his drink. Finally, he opened the nightstand drawer and took out a small key. Leaning over her, he uncuffed one hand, and then tossed the key on the bed as he got up.

"I'll be in DC for a couple of weeks. But I'll be back at the end of the month. There's a work function I'd like for you to attend."

"Should I bring someone?" Lauren asked as she clutched the key in her free hand, but made no move to unlock the other cuff.

"No. Come alone. I'll send you the dress I want you to wear, along with other instructions next week."

And then Lauren heard him leave the room. She heard him put his glass on the kitchen counter, and then he opened the front door and closed it. As soon as the door closed, Lauren took the key and unlocked the cuff. Rubbing her tender wrists, she rolled over and sat up in the bed.

A year ago, she would have spent the rest of the night crying and trying to figure a way out. But now, she was just resigned to her fate. Slowly, painfully, she rose from the bed and went into the bathroom. She took a moment to survey her body. There were bruises on her wrists, her breasts, her back, her neck and her thighs, but no cuts or anything else that required first aid or a visit to her doctor -- this time.

Turning toward the shower, she bent down and turned the water on as hot as she could get it. She spent the next hour washing the night's events off of her.

* * *

**Two Weeks Later**

As Danny Taylor walked into the ballroom, he heard someone let out a whistle. Turning around, he spotted Samantha at the bar. Opening his arms as he walked towards her, he smiled widely.

"Well, Taylor, I must say, you clean up very well," Samantha said as he finally reached her.

"What can I say? Tuxes really suit me," he responded, smug smile firmly in place. "And might I say, you're looking pretty hot tonight as well."

Samantha laughed as she looked down at her black cocktail dress. It was simple and elegant. "Thanks. I felt like I was getting ready for the prom without a date."

"I'll be your date," he said as he slid his arm around her shoulder and gave her a supportive squeeze.

"_You_ came alone?" she asked, voice full of shock.

"I'm not going to waste a date on this thing. I'm here for one reason only. Viv is getting her service award. As soon as that's over, I say you and me go find a real party."

"Sounds like a plan," Sam responded. "What about Martin? Is he here yet?"

"Not yet. He mentioned something about coming with a friend of his family's. I think it's a set-up job by his mother."

"That should be interesting. What about Jack? Is he coming?" she asked, voice full of curiousity.

"Negative. He had to go to Chicago for Kate's ballet recital. Viv gave him a pass. Lucky bastard."

"Come on, Danny. It's not that bad. The food should be good. We are at the Ritz, you know."

"Strange, isn't it? I mean, where does the FBI find the money to finance a shindig like this when we can't even get a decent raise each year."

"I heard it was privately funded. The Senate committee that overseas the FBI let a couple of lobbyists with links to deep pockets pull out all the stops. They give out the FBI service awards so that it looks official, but actually it's just a guise for politicians to mingle with their party benefactors."

"Sounds suspicious to me. Good thing we have a few years before we have to come back for our service awards."

"Well the evening could get a whole lot better if I could get the bartender's attention," Samantha said as she nodded toward the female bartender who was busy entertaining a couple of political types at the end of the bar.

"Allow me," Danny said. "Dirty martini, right?"

"What else?" Sam responded as she watched Danny walk down to where the bartender was. Instantly, Danny got her attention. The bartender smiled sweetly as she made him a martini and a club soda.

After getting their drinks, Danny thanked the bartender and then turned abruptly, running directly into an attractive young women.

"Sorry," he said as he tried to hold the drinks away from her so they wouldn't spill. "I didn't get you, did I?"

The young woman looked down at her red dress. And then she looked up to find him still inspecting said dress and much more. "I'm fine. Thanks," she responded coolly as she moved to his other side and walked away.

Danny's head turned slightly to watch her walk down to the end of the bar. As he reached Samantha, he finally tore his eyes away from her.

"Looks like I'm losing my date before the night even starts," Sam joked as she took her drink.

Danny smiled at her reassuringly. "No way. It's you and me, kid. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the scenery. She definitely doesn't look like one of us."

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked as she gently punched his arm.

"Would you relax? I just meant that even someone as hot as you wouldn't wear a dress like that at a work function. Am I right?"

"You're right about that," Sam responded as she took a closer look at the woman. She was dressed in a long, red clingy dress that showed impressive cleavage along with a slit up the side. Her hair was drawn up whimsically. "She's probably some aging Senator's second wife."

"Or his mistress," Danny piped in.

Samantha just smiled and shook her head.

"Hey guys," Martin said as he walked up to the bar. "Sam, you look beautiful tonight," he said as he stood next to her.

"Thank you. See Danny…that's how you compliment a women."

Danny's eyes widened in mock frustration. "I complimented you like two minutes ago. I said you were hot. What more do you want?"

Martin laughed. "Clearly, I'm going to be left out of all the fun tonight."

"Why's that? You can hang with us," Danny replied.

"I wish. My parents are here. And I came with a family friend from D.C.," he said as he pointed to a table about 100 feet away.

"She's pretty," Samantha said as she looked back at Martin.

"She's very sweet, actually, and a very good sport to come to something like this."

"Well Sam and I won't be here too long. We have an escape planned," Danny said.

"Yeah…an escape plan, unless of course, Danny can find a way to make the acquaintance of the woman in the red dress," Samantha said as she looked down the bar.

"Who is she?" Martin asked, obviously taken by the stunning woman.

"No idea. But I'm betting she's already spoken for," Danny answered.

"Well, if Danny does disappear on you, you're more than welcome to join us," Martin said as he start to back away.

"That's me. Destined to be a third wheel," Samantha said in a joking voice.

"See you guys later," Martin said as he turned and walked back to his table.

"He's being a good sport tonight," Samantha said as they watched him approach his parents.

"What? Spending an evening with Victor Fitzgerald doesn't sound like a good time to you? Times like these I can appreciate having very few family obligations."

"Here. Here," Samantha responded as she clinked her glass to Danny's.

* * *

An hour later, Danny made his way through the crowd. They'd just handed out the awards, so he'd gone over to congratulate Vivian. Now, he was in search of Samantha, so they could leave as planned. Finally he found her, sitting at one of the tables. She was talking animatedly to a man he'd never seen before.

When Samantha caught sight of Danny, her eyes widened as she stood up. "Hey, Danny. I want you to meet Greg Sims. We were in the same class at Quantico."

Greg stood up and shook Danny's hand. "Nice to meet you," Danny said with a smile. "Can I talk to you for minute?" he asked as he looked at Samantha.

"I'll…uh…I'll just get us another drink," Greg said as he started toward the bar. "Can I get you anything, Danny?"

"No thanks," Danny replied and then turned back to Samantha. "So are we out of here or what?"

Samantha smiled as her eyebrows raised. "I went on a few dates with Greg when we were at Quantico."

Rolling his eyes, Danny shook his head. "What is your deal with guys in law enforcement? You really need to think about casting a wider net, Sam."

Samantha blushed. "Shut up, Danny. The good news is that you're free to pursue the red dress or do whatever…"

"Are you sure you want reconnect with that guy? I'm really fine with us leaving now or even staying here with you."

"He's a good guy. I promise."

"You sure? How many martinis have you had tonight?" Danny asked, voice full of concern.

"Geeze…thanks, Dad. But I can handle myself."

Sighing, he shrugged. "All right. If you say so," he said as he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "You really do look beautiful tonight," he whispered.

"Thanks," she responded, blushing again. "See you Monday."

Danny walked away, even though it was against his better judgment. He just hoped that Sam wasn't staying because she was lonely and this Greg was giving her attention. But he had done the best he could to let her know that she had options, so he tried the best he could to leave the ballroom with a clear conscience.

Turning the corner to head toward the elevator, Danny caught sight of the woman in the red dress. She turned a corner directly in front of him. As she he approached the corner, he looked to his right. She had stepped out onto a balcony. Figuring he didn't have anything better to do, he decided to take a shot. At the very least, he could find out whether she was married, a mistress or, hope of hopes, single.

As he walked out on the balcony, he watched as the women took a long drag on a cigarette. She hugged her arms around her tightly because even though it was early spring – it was still very cold in Manhattan, especially on the thirtieth floor.

"You're going to catch your death out here," Danny said as he came up behind her.

Completely startled, the woman jumped as she turned to look at him and then looked around nervously. "I…um…I," she didn't finish. She just motioned to her cigarette.

"I could, um, I could loan my jacket until you finish," Danny said as he took off his tuxedo jacket.

"No. I couldn't…" she stammered.

"Please. It's not a big deal," he said as he slipped it on her shoulders. "Better?" he asked as she pulled the jacket closer to her.

She just nodded in response as she took another drag on her cigarette.

"My name's Danny," he volunteered when she didn't say anything.

When she still didn't respond, he said, "I'm the one who almost got you all wet earlier tonight."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he could have kicked himself. He closed his eyes in embarrassment as the woman started to laugh, a deep almost uncontrollable laugh.

"That came out wrong. I mean…"

"I know…I know what you mean," she finally said as she stopped laughing. "We ran into each other at the bar."

"Right. I'd remember that red dress anywhere, but I kind of question your logic. You're gonna freeze tonight."

"Wasn't my choice," she mumbled.

"What?" Danny asked, not sure he heard her correctly.

"Nothing," she replied as she stubbed her cigarette out and tossed it in the ashtray. "Listen, thanks for the coat," she said as she shrugged it from her shoulders. "I'm going to head back in now."

Danny nodded as he took his coat back, but then followed her into the hallway. "Hey," he said, touching her arm. "You…um…you didn't tell me your name."

"I know," she replied as she looked around the hall. "Thanks for the coat…and for the laugh," she added with a small smile as she continued down the hall.

"You're welcome," Danny called out from behind her as he continued on to the elevator.

Defeated, Danny found the nearest elevator and made his way down to the lobby. When he walked out of the building, he saw several limousines and cabs lined up and down the sidewalk.

"Would you like a cab, sir?" the porter asked him.

"No. No, thanks. I think I'll walk," Danny said as he took a deep breath of the crisp Manhattan air.

Danny walked a couple of blocks when he started to get a strange feeling. All of a sudden, he felt like he was being followed or watched. Slowly, he turned his head toward the street. Immediately, he noticed a limousine traveling at snail's pace. As he slowed down, the limo came to an almost complete stop.

Seconds later, the back window rolled down and the woman in the red dress appeared.

"I thought I'd lost you," she said as if she hadn't just blown him off ten minutes ago.

"Lost me? Back there it seemed like you weren't that interested in finding me," Danny responded.

The woman laughed again, like she had earlier. "Can I give you a ride?"

Frowning, Danny shook his head. "I, um, I'm not sure—"

"Just get in," she said as she opened the door.

Sighing heavily, Danny walked to the limo and slid inside.

The woman moved to the seat across from him so she was facing him. Her legs were crossed to reveal a good portion of her leg and thigh. She'd taken her hair down as well.

"Where to, ma'am?" the limo driver asked over the intercom.

"Do you have anywhere you need to be?" she asked Danny as she pressed the intercom button.

Frowning, Danny just shook his head as he continued to watch her.

"Let's drive through the park. Thanks, Charlie," she said and then let go of the intercom button.

"So why the sudden change of heart?" Danny asked as the car started to move.

The woman shrugged. "I was headed back to the party, and then I realized how completely bored I'd been all night. So I tried to catch up to you in the elevator, but just missed you. It's a good thing you decided to walk, or I never would have found you."

"It is a good thing," Danny responded.

"Can I make you a drink?" she asked as she lifted a tumbler of what appeared to be well-chilled vodka to her lips.

"No. Thanks."

"Let me know if you change you mind," she said as she took another sip. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Why not?" Danny replied, completely perplexed, yet amused by the encounter.

"Why did you leave your date at the Ritz?"

"Date?"

"The blonde in the black dress."

"Oh…." Danny responded. "She's not my date. She's my co-worker. We were just together because we both came solo. We were actually there to support one of our other co-workers who received one of the service awards."

"You're an FBI agent?" the woman asked. "That blonde is an _FBI agent_?"

"We come in all shapes and sizes," Danny replied with a curious smile.

"Wow…that's interesting. I never would have guessed."

"Now, it's my turn. Why were you at the party? You're definitely not an agent."

"You're right. I'm not."

"Then why suffer through the most boring party in town."

She hesitated for a moment as if deciding how much to divulge. Finally, she just shrugged and said, "I was…required to be there."

"Required?" he asked, becoming more perplexed by the minute.

"Mmm—hmm. I work for one of the…shall we say, "politicians", at the party. He wanted me there."

"What kind of work do you do for him?" Danny asked, his curiousity peaked.

The woman bit her lip. "I, um, I--"

"Did…did this politician have his wife there, too?"

The woman hesitated again and then shook her head. "Can we talk about something else?"

Danny nodded. He knew this woman was too secretive for him to really pursue her, but he was still interested in talking to her. "Sure, on one condition."

"What?" the woman asked with a worried look.

"Tell me your name," Danny said with a small smile.

The woman smiled shyly as she ran a hand through her hair. "Lauren…my name is Lauren."

End Note: This is my first WAT fanfic, and it's really dark. So I know it's not for everyone. But thanks for reading and reviewing, if you want.


	2. Chapter 2

Warning: Remember, this fic has strong language, some violence, and sexual situations. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

* * *

Twenty minutes into their drive, and Lauren had drained two vodka tonics.

"You've got quite a tolerance for that stuff," Danny said as he looked at her empty drink.

Lauren shrugged. "It takes the edge off."

Raising his eyebrows, Danny remarked. "Clearly, you have quite a few edges then."

Lauren laughed again. She'd laughed more in that last twenty minutes than she had in the whole past year. "You're very funny. That's why I 'found' you. You made me laugh.'

He regarded her closely for a few moments, not sure if he should say what he was thinking. But he ended up saying it anyway. "The politician doesn't make you laugh?"

The smile that momentarily lit up Lauren's suddenly vanished. Looking down at her hands, she whispered, "No. No, he doesn't."

"Then, in my opinion, you shouldn't give him the time of day."

Lauren nodded, but didn't look up. "I'll take that under advisement," she said as she inspected her fingernails.

Suddenly leaning forward, Danny said, "You deserve better."

Looking up quickly, Lauren narrowed her eyes. "How the hell would you know what I deserve? You don't even know me."

Smiling slightly, he responded, "I'm very perceptive. I can just tell…you deserve better."

Lauren shook her head. "I don't want to talk about hi…this. Okay?"

"Okay," Danny replied, raising his hands in surrender.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, he had her laughing again – that deep uncontrollable laughter that was almost impossible to stop. Danny wasn't sure if he was really that funny or the vodka was finally getting to her.

Just as Lauren started to get under control, the limo came to stop. Her driver's voice came over the intercom, "Ms. Palmer, we've arrived at 133rd street.."

"That's me," Danny said quietly.

For a few moments, they didn't say anything else. They just stared at each other.

Finally, Lauren asked, "Aren't you going to ask me up?"

Danny smiled as he broke their stare and looked down. "Not tonight. No."

"You're not having a good time with me?" she asked in a seductive tone.

"Oh no, I am. But you've had a lot to drink, and I wouldn't want you to do something you'd regret when you sober up."

"I'm not drunk, Danny. And I bet you wouldn't make me regret anything."

"Maybe not, but still…I'm trying to be a good guy here," he responded with a slight shrug.

Lauren smiled and nodded.

Danny leaned forward and Lauren followed suit, assuming that he was going to kiss her, but instead he pushed the intercom button above her head.

"Charlie?" Danny asked.

Frowning, Lauren watched as Charlie responded, "Yes sir."

"You're Ms. Palmer's regular driver? Correct?"

"Oh, yes sir."

"Good. So you'll make sure she gets home safely, then?"

"Yes sir. I always do."

"Thanks, Charlie. You're a good man."

"Thank you, sir,"

Danny let go of the intercom button and held his hand out. "It's been a pleasure, Ms. Palmer.

Lauren laughed again, before responding, "Likewise, Special Agent Taylor."

* * *

Lauren almost felt like she was floating as she rode up the elevator to her apartment. The smile hadn't left her face since Danny had gotten out of the limousine. She knew the last thing she needed was to get involved with a charming FBI agent. The last couple of hours had brought her more joy than she'd had in a long time.

Putting her key into the lock, she opened the door to the loft. Her first instinct was to feel dread. That's how she usually felt when she entered the cold, impersonal living space that almost felt like a prison to her. But the warm feeling inside of her made the homecoming a little less dreadful.

Still smiling slightly, she made her way back to the bedroom. She toed off her stiletto heels and started to unzip the red dress when she heard the familiar clink of ice in the scotch glass. The warm feeling was instantly replaced by a chill down her spine.

Turning slowly, she saw him sitting in the chair by the window. She could barely see his face in the darkness, but she already knew what she would see if there was light.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she started, her voice choking with emotion.

"Where were you?" he asked, his tone cool and calm.

"I, um, I wasn't feeling well, so—"

"Why didn't you come straight home?" he continued to grill her.

"I just…I just asked Charlie to take me for a ride through the park."

"But you weren't feeling well?"

"No. I mean, I had a headache. I just—"

"When I tell you to be somewhere – you stay there until I say it's okay to leave."

"I know. I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she said as she walked toward him and then kneeled down in front of him. "It won't happen again. I promise," she said, hoping that her pleading, almost seductive tone would ease his anger.

He didn't respond. He just looked at her with cold disdain. Lauren thought quickly to try and diffuse the anger she was sure was coming. "Let me get you another drink," she said with a smile.

Without saying a word, he handed her the scotch glass. She rose to her feet and then made her way to the kitchen. Taking a deep breath to stop her hands from shaking, she filled the glass with ice and then poured the expensive scotch over it. Quickly, she wiped the corner of her eyes before re-entering room – knowing that he hated it when she cried.

"Here you go," she said as he held out the glass. "Just the way you like it."

Not making a movement to take the glass from her, he just said, "Put it down and get on your knees."

From the tone of his voice, Lauren could tell she hadn't diffused the situation. But she didn't say anything, she just gracefully feel to her knees.

Suddenly, the man reached out and roughly cupped her face. "Who did you fuck tonight?"

"No one. No one. I swear."

He moved her face around as if to inspect her neck and shoulders.

"I wasn't with anyone. I swear," she pleaded.

He moved his hand from her face to the zipper on the side of her dress. In one quick motion, he unzipped the dress and pulled it down.

"Stand up," he commanded.

Lauren stood and let the dress fall down and pool at ankles. He took a few moments to look at her. She wasn't sure what he expected to find.

Finally after several more moments, he stood up and then picked up his drink. "Come with me," he ordered as he started to walk toward the two way mirror.

"Please…no…please," Lauren pleaded, knowing what going through that door would mean. "I'll do anything…anything…"

He looked back at her with a disgusted glare. "You keep testing your limits with me. You need to know there are consequences for that type of behavior. I won't tolerate it."

"I made a mistake. I saw you with your family and I didn't think you needed me—"

Before she even knew what happened, she felt a hard, stinging blow to her stomach. "You cunt!" he yelled. "You fucking cunt! You don't mention them. They don't exist to you…you fucking whore," he screamed as he grabbed her hair and dragged her toward the mirrored door.

* * *

**Three Days Later**

"I met someone," Lauren stated in an almost hesitant whisper.

"A man?"

Lauren nodded.

"Where did you meet him?"

"At one of the functions I'm required to attend."

"Isn't that taking a pretty big chance?"

"Yes," Lauren answered in a choked tone.

"Is that why walked in so gingerly today?"

Lauren nodded.

"So he found out?"

"Nothing happened for him to find out. I just met this nice guy and we…we took a drive through the park, and he made me laugh. That was it. He didn't even ask for my number. I think he figured out that my personal life is more complicated that he cared to get involved with."

"Why did you get hit, then?"

Lauren shrugged. "I guess because he didn't believe me or maybe because I dared to make a move without his approval or maybe just because he hadn't seen me bleed in a while."

"When are you going to find a way out of this…this situation?"

Lauren shrugged again. "When one of us dies, I guess."

* * *

Breathing in even, deep breathes, Danny increased his speed. His heart pumped quickly as he felt the burn in his chest and legs. When he finally saw the entrance to the park, he started to slow down. He kept his breathing even and deep as he lowered his pace to a brisk jog. He'd just run three miles in the park, and now he was cooling down during the last half mile to his apartment building.

As he reached his building, he slowed to a walk. Approaching the walk-up steps, he noticed a woman in large, dark sunglasses scanning the list of tenants at the top of the stairs. Taking a closer look, he smiled slightly when he realized it was Lauren Palmer.

"You looking for someone specific?" Danny asked as he stood at the bottom the stairs.

Startled, Lauren turned upon hearing his voice. "Um, I…"

"Or are you looking for me?" Danny asked in a menacing voice.

Lauren nodded slightly, but then shook her head. "Honestly? I have no idea why I'm here. I was at an appointment downtown and when I finished, I gave the cab driver your address. But I really shouldn't be here."

Danny frowned. "Why not?"

"Seems a little desperate…and slightly stalkery. I mean, we have one conversation in the back of a limousine. And then you don't invite me up to your apartment or ask for my number. And yet here I am. Gloria Steinem would be very disappointed."

Danny took a breath and then walked up the stairs to the landing. "It was actually two conversations – one at the Ritz and one in the limo," he said, holding up two fingers. "The only reason I haven't called is because it seemed as though you were otherwise engaged. It certainly has nothing to do with not wanting to see you again."

"So you can't spend time with a woman who may, and I stress may, be otherwise engaged?"

"It's generally a bad idea, yes." Danny watched as Lauren's lips curved into a slight pout. "But I guess a cup of coffee wouldn't end the world or anything."

Lauren's pout turned into a smile. "No, it wouldn't. Maybe we could go across the street?" she asked as she motioned toward the coffee house across from Danny's building.

"Um…sure, but I just ran three miles. I should probably grab a quick shower. You could come up or wait at the coffee house. Your choice."

"I'll come up," Lauren said.

* * *

"This is nice," Lauren said as she walked around the small living room/kitchen area.

She heard Danny's laugh from his bedroom. "You're very charitable. This place is a dump, but it's been my dump for five years now."

Lauren stopped in front of a mirror that hung on the door of the coat closet. She could see Danny's reflection coming through from the open door to his bedroom. She watched as he peeled off his sweatshirt and t-shirt to reveal his sweaty chest and tight stomach. Then he removed his track pants, leaving only his gray boxer-briefs. She closed her eyes briefly because she felt so silly, but she wasn't sure she'd ever been this attracted to someone before.

When she opened her eyes again, Danny was gone. She heard the shower turn on. The part of her that seemed destined for trouble actually thought about taking off her clothes and joining him in the shower. But the practical side of her brain reminded her that he'd see the cuts and bruises and that would cause more questions.

At that thought, Lauren had the urge to leave. What was she thinking? She could never be with Danny. It would never work. She started to walk towards the front door when she heard the shower turn off.

"You know," Danny called out, "we could go to lunch instead. I haven't eaten today. There's a quiet Chinese place on the corner."

Lauren's hand was on the door knob. She knew the right thing for both of them would be to leave, but instead she answered, "Sounds good."

* * *

"So what do you do besides gracing service award events in hot red dresses?" Danny asked.

They were sitting in a back booth. Lauren's hands were wrapped around a cup of hot tea.

"I, um, I was going to drama school at Pace, but I dropped out last year. Um, I guess you could say I'm currently an out of work actress living off the residuals from a few commercials I did a while back."

"Really? Commercials? Which ones?"

Lauren's cheeks turned scarlet red. "It's embarrassing…so embarrassing."

"Oh come on! Spill."

"I did some feminine hygiene commercials, as well as a deodorant commercial."

Danny laughed. "Well, hey, it's work, right?"

"Right," Lauren answered.

"So how do commercial residuals pay for Charlie the limo driver? And an apartment on the upper West side? That's where you live, right?"

Lauren nodded. "Um…"

"The politician?"

She shook her head. "No! I mean, that's complicated. But we mostly live off of my father's pension. It's going to run out soon, but until then, it's paying our bills."

"Our bills?"

"My brother and I. He's in college…Georgetown, actually."

"Wow, that's impressive. So is that why you dropped out? So you could pay for Georgetown?"

Lauren looked down. "Something like that, yeah."

"That's very admirable."

"It's not—"

"It's a good thing. Don't sell yourself short. It takes a lot to step up like, even for a family member," Danny said in a knowing voice.

Lauren just smiled in response.

"So when did your Dad pass away?"

At the mention of her father, her eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry," Danny said quickly. "I shouldn't have asked."

After wiping the corners of her eyes, she responded, "It's okay. Um, a little over a year ago. It's just…when he died, everything changed. I just…I miss him."

"What about your mom?" Danny asked in a gentle tone.

"She lives in D.C. My brother actually lives with her to save money. She's a good person, but she just doesn't have it together. She's kind of lost without my Dad. So I get frustrated with her. It's…it's been difficult," she replied, shaking her head.

"Sounds like it," Danny said as he reached out and traced his finger across her wrist. "Hang in there. Things will get better." Danny gave her a small, supportive smile.

"I hope so," Lauren replied quietly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Two Weeks Later**

"You look happy."

"Do I?" Lauren asked, small smile firmly in place.

"Well, happier than usual. What's changed?"

"Nothing's changed permanently, but _he's _been out of the country for the last couple of weeks. He's not due back until the end of the month. It's just a nice break. And it's comforting to know he won't just pop up unannounced. That's always worse."

"He's been away for long spells before, but you've never seemed this relaxed."

Lauren's smile widened. "Remember the guy I told you about the last time I was here?"

"Yes."

"We've been…sort of…seeing each other."

"Is that wise?"

"Probably not, but—"

"Does he know about your…your situation?"

Lauren nodded.

"He _knows_ there is someone else?"

Lauren nodded again.

"And he's okay with that?"

Shaking her head, Lauren sighed. "No. He's not okay with it, which is why we've just been seeing each other as friends."

"Friends?"

Lauren nodded with a shy smile. "He hasn't even tried to kiss me. We go for coffee. We went to a movie last weekend. We just spend time together."

"Is he straight?"

At this, Lauren laughed. "Most definitely. That's what's so stimulating about the whole thing. There's this undercurrent of sexual tension. We flirt mercilessly. I get butterflies in my stomach when I know I'm going to see him. It's crazy."

"But it has to end, right?"

Lauren's smiled faded. Biting her lip, she nodded. "Yeah, it has to end. If _he _ever found out, I don't know what he'd do. So, I'll end it before he returns from his trip."

* * *

They shouldn't have gone dancing.

It started as they walked out of a restaurant downtown. Danny was about to hail her a cab to take her home, when they heard the music coming from across the street.

"Listen to that," Danny said, motioning across the street.

"What is it?" Lauren asked.

"Salsa club, maybe? That's definitely a Cuban beat, though."

"You dance?" Lauren asked with an amused giggle.

Danny looked at her in mock astonishment. "Do I dance? Where I come from, you learn to dance before you learn to walk."

Rolling her eyes, Lauren continued to smile. "Well, where I come from, we have two left feet. So there will be no dancing tonight," she said she held her hand up to hail herself cab.

Taking her hand, Danny turned her toward him. "Doesn't matter how many left feet you have when you dance with me. Come on," he said with a nod of his head as he started to guide her across the street.

When they entered the loud, smoky club, Lauren stood on her tip toes to speak into Danny's ear. "This is a bad idea….on so many levels," she said in an almost distressed tone. Besides just not knowing how to dance, Lauren felt a sense of distress wash over her. For some reason, she knew this was a bad idea.

"Relax," Danny said as he leaned to look in her eyes. "It will be fun," he said with a sly smile.

After paying the cover charge, he started to lead her towards the dance floor, but she stopped in her tracks. "Maybe we should get a drink first," she practically yelled over the music as she motioned toward the bar.

Danny just shook his head as he continued toward the dance floor.

When they reached the crowded floor, Danny abruptly pulled Lauren into his arms. She felt him put his hand on the small of her back and then he pulled her body flush against his as he took her hand in his free hand.

Leaning down, he whispered in her ear. "Just stay focused on my eyes and do everything I do. You'll be fine."

Lauren knew it was futile to resist him, so she just did as he told her. She stay focused on his eyes as he started to lead her to the music. She had no idea what dance they were doing or how she was keeping pace with him, but she was. It became obvious very quickly that Danny was just as accustomed to this type of dancing as he said he was. As they continued to dance, their bodies seemed to meld together more and more. Danny's hand that had been placed firmly on the small of her back would gradually drift down slightly. It seemed like each time his hand would travel downward, she'd feel his hips thrust slightly against hers. Each time he did this, Lauren's breath would catch.

Several times during their dances, Lauren was sure he was about to kiss her. Their lips would be so close to touching, it was driving her crazy. But each time, he'd just tilt his head back and smile as though he loved teasing her.

They never even made it to the bar, but Lauren didn't need to drink. She'd never felt so intoxicated in her life.

They danced for two solid hours, and finally Lauren held up her hands in surrender. "You've proved your point, Taylor."

Danny just smiled as he took her hand and lead her towards the exit. Once outside, they both breathed in the fresh air. The feeling of the cool air on their sweaty skin was delicious. They enjoyed the feeling so much that they decided to walk a few blocks before finding a cab.

"I'll never doubt you again," Lauren said as they walked.

"That's a wise decision," he responded in playful tone.

Continuing to walk, they didn't speak anymore. There was an electricity in the air between them that wouldn't seem to go away no matter how much fresh air they took in. Before they knew it, they were at Danny's apartment building. They'd walked fourteen blocks without even realizing it.

"Wow," Danny said as he came to stop.

"Yeah," Lauren responded as she turned to him.

For a few moments, they stared at each other. This wasn't unusual…these long, lingering glances. What was unusual was the almost magnetic attraction between them.

Trying to break the tension, Lauren said, "I probably won't be able to get a cab until the next block, this time of night."

Danny didn't respond. Instead he just nodded.

Lauren started to move, but suddenly, Danny took her hand.

"Danny…," her next words were supposed to be 'I can't', but she couldn't get them out.

He stared at her for another minute. It was like he was staring into her soul.

Lauren started to speak again, but before she could get the words out, she felt Danny tug her arm, bringing her body against his. As soon as their bodies made contact, his lips were on hers. And then, as if they were dancing again, he led her back to the alley wall on the side his building. She winced as her back made contact with the hard, stucco wall.

"Sorry," Danny mumbled in her mouth, but kept kissing her.

Lauren opened her mouth to tell him it was okay, but he just took the opportunity to slide his tongue against hers. And then she felt his hands, one on the back of her neck and the other sliding up the inside of her skirt. She wanted to reciprocate by moving her hands under his shirt, but before she could do anything she felt his hand run up the inside of her thigh. The contact made her moan in his mouth and gasp for breath as his lips traveled to her neck. Biting her lip, she felt him slide one finger and then two inside the lining of panties. She lifted one of her legs, hooking it around his thigh to give him better access. She'd been wet down there since they had started dancing, but now she could feel her body contracting with excitement as his fingers slid back and forth in a slow, deliberate manner.

She let out another high-pitched gasp and he stopped kissing her neck so he could look at her face. She knew what he was doing. He wanted to watch her come. Pressing his forehead to hers, their eyes locked as he continued touching, now a little faster. Her breathe quickened as he kissed her a couple of times. She moaned as she felt herself come with one final thrust against his fingers. She leaned up and kissed him. He removed his hand and pulled her closer to kiss her even harder.

Breaking away finally, Lauren looked in his eyes. "This doesn't change—"

Cutting her off, Danny put his damp fingers against her lips. "Do you want to go home?"

On complete instinct, Lauren shook her head.

Two hours later, and they still hadn't made it to his bed. They'd worked up another sweat as soon as they got in his front door and ended up having sex right there. And now they were in his shower, washing away remnants of the dancing and the sex. Of course, they were doing more kissing and touching than washing.

Lauren felt surprisingly relaxed the whole time. At first, she was worried that she wouldn't be able to go through with actually letting Danny inside of her, but he was incredibly gentle considering how passionate the encounter had become. He'd even asked her if she was sure she was ready before taking her and then asked her if she was okay after.

All of this made Lauren want him again. She didn't want him to stop. So in the shower, she trailed her hand down his chest and stomach, until finally her finger traced down the small trail of hair under his navel. She took him in her hand and suddenly, he groaned as he slouched forward against her. Sliding her hand back and forth, he hardened instantly.

Grunting this time, Danny moved away slightly to look into her eyes. "Fuck…fuck, baby," he said in an almost distressed tone.

"What is it?"

"Only had one condom," he said in a panting tone as she continued to stroke him.

Lauren smiled as she leaned into his chest. "That is a problem."

"Sorry. Didn't…expect…"

The both just started to laugh after that.

Minutes later, they got out of the shower, dried off, and collapsed into his bed.

"Keep your distance," Danny said in a joking tone. "Or I'm going to have to break into the drug store down the street."

"Got it," Lauren said with a smile as she turned on her side to look away from him.

"Not that far away," he said softly. Slowly moving towards her, he wrapped his arm around her stomach to pull her back against his chest. "This'll work."

When she felt his arm cradle her protectively and his breath against her neck, Lauren felt like weeping. No one had ever held her like that before.

Within minutes, they were both fast asleep.

* * *

For the next week, they spent almost every night together. They didn't talk much because both were afraid of dealing with what was happening between them. But on Friday, Lauren knew she had no other choice but to deal with it.

It was noon, and Lauren watched the ducks glide across the reservoir in Central Park. She'd asked Danny to meet her there because she knew it would be fairly secluded.

"Hey," he called out as he approached her in the old gazebo.

"Hey yourself," she responded quietly, not taking her eyes off the ducks.

Lauren took a deep breath as she felt Danny's lips on her neck and arms envelope her. "What's with the covert meeting location?"

Lauren smiled. "I just…" she started, but didn't want to say it.

"What is it?" he asked as he tightened his arms around her waist.

Taking another breath, Lauren mustered all the willpower she had to shrug out of his grasp. Turning around, she saw confusion form on his face.

"We have to stop, Danny."

"Stop what?" he asked, frown etched firmly in his brow.

Sniffing slightly, she formed her lips into a tight line. She knew he wouldn't make this easy. "We can't…we can't see each other anymore."

"Why?" he asked in a short tone.

"You know why. I told you that I couldn't…that we couldn't--"

He interrupted. "Leave him."

Closing her eyes, Lauren shook her head. "I can't."

"Tell me who he is," Danny commanded.

Lauren shook her head again. "No. I can't."

"Are you afraid of him? Is that it? Is it because he pays your bills? Or your brother's? I'll help you. If you let me, I'll help you."

"It's none of those things. It's nothing you could possibly understand, but it's my reality."

Chewing the inside of his cheek, Danny ran a hand through his hair. "This guy…the…the politician…he's not around all the time, is he?" he asked, his voice weak and almost desperate.

Frowning, Lauren responded, "No."

"Then…I'll…we'll just see each other when he's not around."

"No, Danny. I couldn't do that to you. I feel terrible that I got involved with you at all. I'm not worth it, Danny. You deserve someone who can be with you all the time. You deserve someone who treats you well."

"So do you," he responded in a flat tone.

* * *

Lauren's heart sank when she first heard the door open. He'd left a message earlier telling her to be waiting at six. He'd even told her to make sure she was wearing the black teddy and stiletto heels that's he'd sent while he was on his trip.

Forcing herself to focus, Lauren poured the scotch over the ice-filled glass as she listen to him walk into the living room and sit down. Pasting a small smile on her face, she walked out of the kitchen.

"How was your trip?" she asked as she set the drink down on the table next to him, and then stood directly in front of him.

"Long," he replied as he took a moment to look at her. "Take down your hair," he ordered suddenly.

Lauren obeyed as usual and took down her hair. "Is everything else okay?" she asked, voice hesitant.

He just nodded as he picked up his drink and took a sip. He didn't say anything else for several minutes. He just watched her.

Lauren hated when he did this. It made her feel exposed and vulnerable. Of course, everything he did to her made her feel that way.

Finally, he spoke, "Someone's coming over in about fifteen minutes."

Lauren nodded. "Someone from the escort agency?"

The man shook his head. "I decided to go a different route this time. You don't have to explain the rules of the game to this one. He already knows what we are expecting."

Frowning, Lauren knew he was testing her. She wanted to question him, but knew if she did that he'd make her pay. "Whatever you want," she said quietly.

"Exactly," the man replied.

* * *

The man went into the special room with the two-way mirror when there was a knock at the door. Hesitantly, Lauren walked to the door and opened it. Standing on the other side was a man in his late-thirties or early forties. He had on a coat and tie. He didn't look like a prostitute; he looked like he'd just finished a day of work on Wall Street.

"Hello," the man at the door said when Lauren did nothing to greet him.

Finally focusing, Lauren shook her head. "I'm sorry. Hello. Please come in."

The man looked her up and down as he came through the door. "Wow. You, um, you are definitely the crème of the crop."

Frowning, Lauren wasn't sure how to take that. "Thanks," was all the she could say in response. "Let's go," she said as she motioned toward the bedroom.

"Wait a second," the man said as he took a hold of her arm. "How about you fix me a drink first?"

"Um, I'm not sure—"

"I'm in charge, right?" the man cut her off.

Lauren just nodded.

"Then fix me a fucking scotch. Neat."

Something was wrong. Lauren knew it. Usually, the game didn't start until they entered the bedroom. No one had asked for a drink before. They all had known why they were there.

"I'll get it right now," she said with a slight smile. "Um, would you like to go to the bedroom and I'll bring it to you?"

The man just nodded as he started toward the bedroom.

Nervously, Lauren hurried into the kitchen. Her whole body felt shaky. Before getting his scotch, she opened the freezer, took out the vodka, and drank three longs gulps straight from the bottle. She couldn't pinpoint it, but something about this man terrified her.

Quickly, she poured his drink. Taking a deep breath, she went into the bedroom.

* * *

**Two Days Later**

"What happened to you?"

Self-consciously, Lauren hid the cut on her lip. The large, dark sunglasses were hiding her bruised eye.

"He changed the game," Lauren responded.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he…he changed the fucking game. Before, even though I wasn't supposed to be in control, I was still in control. You know? I knew what was going to happen. Hell, I would tell them what to do me. But this time, this time, he changed it," Lauren said as her eyes filled with tears.

**_When Lauren walked into the bedroom, the man was still wearing his shirt and tie. He was sitting back on the bed with his legs crossed in front him. Lauren smiled as she put the drink down on the nightstand. _**

"_You're fucking gorgeous."_

_Lauren just smiled as she stood in front of him, waiting to be told what to do._

"_I'm serious. I've fucked some hot whores before, but no one like you."_

_When he first said the word, Lauren's first instinct was to look into the two-way mirror, but she stopped herself. This man thought she was the prostitute. He was paying for her, instead of the other way around. _

"_What do you do?" the man asked her, drawing her out of her shocked state._

"_Excuse me?" _

"_Tell me what you do."_

_This time, Lauren glanced quickly into the mirror before responding. "Whatever you want."_

_An hour later, she was huddled at the foot of the bed, with her knees pulled up to her chin. The man was putting his dress shirt and tie back on in the bathroom. She could hear him whistling lightly to himself. _

_When he came out of the bathroom, he leaned down in front of her. At first, she thought he was going to touch her face, but instead, he grabbed her hair. "Your cunt is worth every penny," he said. Then he stood up and tossed a few bills at her. _

_When she heard the front door close, she had to stop herself from breaking down. The night wasn't over yet. A minute later, the two-way mirror opened. He walked out a stood in front of her._

"_I'll call Charlie. He'll take you to your doctor tonight."_

_Lauren resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her mouth was bleeding, her eye was throbbing, and her shoulder felt dislocated. And those were just the wounds that were visible._

_The man turned to walk out, but Lauren spoke before he could reach the door. "Why do you hate me so much? How could let that man do what he just did to me?"_

_At first, she thought he was going to respond, but then he just walked out._

"You are being physically and sexually assaulted. This time, sending you to the hospital. You have to call the police. Whatever hold this man has on you, it's not worth it. The authorities need to know."

"That won't help," Lauren responded, still crying.

"Why not?"

"Because he is the authorities, maybe even more powerful than the police," Lauren responded, her emotion replaced by futility. "I don't have any way out of this."


	4. Chapter 4

Warning: Remember, this fic has strong language, some violence, and sexual situations. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

* * *

**One Month Later**

It had been weeks since she'd seen or talked to Danny. He hadn't called and she hadn't called him. Part of her was thankful because she knew he'd have too many questions if he saw her with bruises on her face. But the other part of her missed him terribly.

The man had left her alone for a couple of weeks so she could heal, but eventually, called her to set up another "game". This time, he wanted her to attend another party.

She entered the beautiful mansion and gave the invitation to the doorman. He then directed her to a large, open room with a bar. The party was in full swing with people dancing and talking. Lauren didn't know anyone and didn't see the man anywhere. Sighing lightly, she headed for the bar to order a drink. As she approached the bar, she felt the leering stares of several men and disapproving looks of several women. The party was a formal affair, and yet, the man had instructed her to wear a short black backless dress. She looked very out of place. Once again, he seemed to get off on making her uncomfortable.

Taking a sip from her vodka tonic, Lauren looked around the room. She still didn't see him, but she knew that didn't mean she could leave. A few minutes later, she caught the attention of the one of the waiters who was circulating hor'deurves. She could almost feel him staring at her. When he walked over to her, she prepared herself to shoot him down quickly.

"Lauren?" he asked quietly.

Shocked that he knew her name, she answered. "Yes. Do…do…I know you?" Lauren took a few moments to really look at the waiter. He was tall, lanky, and clearly Latino.

"You don't know me, but someone paid me a pretty penny to get to know you fairly quickly," he said, excitement evident in his tone.

Lauren closed her eyes for a moment, realizing that the game had started. She hated herself for almost feeling thankful to the man for not having someone pay for her this time. "Do you know what you are in for?"

The waiter nodded. "The dude actually gave me typed instructions."

"You know he'll be watching, right?"

The waiter nodded again. "Pretty freaky, but it's much more enjoyable now that I've seen what you look like."

"So where are we going to do this?" Lauren asked, just wanting to get it over with.

"In twenty minutes, go to the foyer and go up the stairs. If someone stops you, just tell them you're lost. Guests aren't supposed to go up there, so be discreet. I'll meet you up there in the third room on the left and we'll go from there," the waiter said.

Lauren just nodded in response.

Twenty minutes and three vodka tonics later, Lauren made it up the stairs without being seen. When she entered the room, the waiter was taking off his jacket and bow-tie.

"Hey," he said.

Lauren smiled uncomfortably. This guy was an amateur, but at least he was decent-looking. He reminded her a little of Danny.

"Should we get started?" he asked as she stopped in front of him.

"Yeah. At some point, he'll just walk in so don't be alarmed. He won't say anything or do anything. You just need to pretend he's not here."

"Right. Okay," he responded a bit nervously.

Usually, Lauren didn't kiss, but the waiter didn't seem to know any other way to start the encounter so she let him kiss her as she finished removing his clothes. When he was naked, he leaned back against the wall. Suddenly, she heard a door open behind her. The waiter started to look, but she distracted him by falling to her knees.

She heard the man put his scotch glass down on a table and then take a seat in the chair behind them. She knew the waiter hadn't noticed a thing since he was now groaning and putting his hands in her hair.

"Oh fuck!" he exclaimed. "Fuck," he groaned as he started to tug her hair.

When she felt him thrusting his hips, she knew it was time to stop. She pulled back and looked up at him with wide eyes hoping he'd take control just as the man would want.

"Get up," he commanded as if on queue.

Lauren rose to her feet.

First, he took her by the arms, turned her and pushed her roughly against the wall. He worked her short dress up her thighs. The man had told her to not wear anything under her dress, so the waiter grunted when his found bare flesh.

"Fuck, you're hot," he said as she felt his hips grind into hers.

As the waiter continued to touch her in a futile effort to arouse her, she supposed, she locked eyes with the man sitting in the chair. She could never read him. She didn't understand what this did for him. He didn't look excited. He wasn't getting himself off. He just sat there and watched.

The waiter started to push inside of her, when Lauren stopped him. "Condom."

"Shit, right," he said as he leaned down, picked up his pants and pulled the condom from his pocket.

Lauren took it from him, opened it, and then rolled it on him. The waiter was almost out of his mind with desire. Lauren knew he wouldn't last long. "Bend me over that table," Lauren whispered in his ear, knowing the man would prefer that.

The waiter nodded slightly before taking her and pulling her over the table. He pushed her down, and then pulled up her dress. Lauren turned her head, so she could watch the man watching them. The waiter pushed inside of her and then starting thrusting, short, hard thrusts that brought tears to Lauren's eyes.

Quickly, she tried to wipe her eyes before the man saw the tears. Soon, the waiter thrust one last time before letting out a guttural groan as he climaxed. As soon as he collapsed against her back, the man got up from his chair and walked out of the room.

Breathing heavily, the waiter didn't move right away.

"Get off of me, please," Lauren pleaded as she tried to shrug him off of her.

Finally coming around, the waiter pulled out of her. He removed the condom and threw it in a waste basket, and then gathered his clothes to get dressed.

Lauren straightened her dress and then did her best to fix her hair. She took some gloss out of her small purse and applied it to her lips. Then she wiped the corners of her eyes.

After the waiter finished dressing, he came behind her and put his arms around her waist. "You're amazing."

Shrugging away from him, Lauren started toward the door.

"Hey, wait a sec, baby," the waiter said as he took her the arm. "I was thinking we could hook up later."

Laughing dryly, Lauren shook her head. "You must be an idiot. This wasn't a date. A man just paid you so he could watch you fuck me. So no thanks. I'm not really thinking we should hook up later," she said as she pulled her arm away and walked out the door.

Wanting to leave as quickly as possible, she walked down the stairs without caution. When an attendant caught sight of her, he stopped her. "No one is allowed up there, miss."

Thinking quickly, Lauren responded, "Oh yeah? Um, I was looking for a ladies' room and –"

"There's one right off the main room, miss. There's no reason to go upstairs."

As the attendant talked to her, Lauren's attention was focused on the front door. The man was greeting a young man who had just walked in. She'd seen the young man at other events, but didn't know who he was. She just knew that the man always greeted him with a handshake and a warm look in his eyes. The struck Lauren because the man almost looked human when she saw him like this.

"Miss…miss…can you hear me?" the attendant asked in a loud voice.

Refocusing her attention, Lauren nodded apologetically. She noticed now that the people in the main foyer were now looking at her. "I'm so sorry. I, um, I'm not feeling well. I'll just be leaving now."

She moved as fast as she could toward the front door, passing the man as she left.

* * *

**Three Days Later**

Taking a long drag on her cigarette, Lauren looked out onto the city from the small loft balcony. It was Sunday morning, and she was taking her time waking up with her morning coffee. Times like these she could almost trick herself into thinking her life was normal.

The quiet morning was disrupted by the ring of her cell phone. Quickly stubbing out her cigarette, she walked inside and flipped open her phone.

"Hello," she answered.

For a moment, she didn't hear anything. So she said again, "Hello?"

"Hey," a soft voice responded.

Recognizing the soft, sleep-hoarse voice, her heart leapt a little. "Danny?"

"Yeah. How are you?"

"I'm, um, I'm okay. I'm just, surprised, to hear from you."

"I'm kind of surprised I'm calling you, actually."

Lauren smiled. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just…we just wrapped up kind of a tough case. And I couldn't get you out of my head."

"Me?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"Why?"

"Our MP was a young woman, 25. She had so much potential. She was smart and ambitious…"

"Was?"

"Her ex-boyfriend shot her in the head. I had to watch her parents ID her body in the morgue."

"That's awful, but how—"

"It's what happens when you get involved in dangerous situations."

"Christ, Danny. You don't know that I'm in a dangerous situation," Lauren responded, not quite believing how much Danny had deduced in their short time together.

"Affairs are dangerous, Lauren. I just want you to be careful."

Closing her eyes, Lauren took a deep breath. She had tried to sound annoyed, but truthfully, she was incredibly thankful to know he cared.

"I'm okay, Danny. I promise."

"Let me see for myself," he said in an almost whisper.

"Not a good idea."

"Meet me for coffee at the place by my apartment."

"No."

"Come on. I promise I'll be on my best behavior. We'll just talk, like we used to."

Lauren didn't respond.

"I'll be there at noon. Hopefully, I'll see you there," he said before hanging up the phone.

* * *

It was 12:15, and Danny started to feel like a needy chic as he kept his eyes peeled looking out the window. He wasn't really sure what he was doing. There was something about Lauren that compelled him to care for her. He wasn't sure it was love. Sure, he liked spending time with her and when their relationship had become physical, he'd enjoyed that as well, but he wasn't sure it was love.

Logically, he knew he should walk away and never look back. She had way too many issues. A few years ago, he most definitely would have. But dealing with his brother and helping Martin with his addiction had helped him realize that reaching out to people didn't always mean he'd end up getting hurt in the end. Besides that, something about her made him worry for her. There always seemed to be this fear in her eyes. So asking her for coffee hadn't been about getting her back in bed. It was genuinely because he'd just wanted to make sure she was okay.

Continuing to look out the window, he smiled slightly when he saw her approaching. They locked eyes for a moment and she shook her head in defeat.

She walked in and made her way over to the table.

"I knew you couldn't resist me," he said, his tone sounding superior.

Rolling her eyes, Lauren laughed. "You're insufferable. The only reason I came was because the thought of you sitting here waiting for me was so pathetic. I had to come save you."

"I'm glad you did," he replied softly as he reached out to touch her hand. "It's good to see you."

"You, too," she responded as she let her fingers intertwine with his.

They talked non-stop for over an hour. They mostly kept things light, even though Danny had wanted to ask her about the status of her situation. He was about to broach the subject when his cell phone rang.

Cursing silently, he looked at Lauren and said, "Excuse me."

Lauren just smiled and stood up as she motioned that she was going to the ladies' room.

"Taylor," Danny answered

"Hey, it's Martin."

Danny groaned inwardly at starting another case today. "Hey, what's up?"

"Well, actually, I'm in your neighborhood. I was wondering if you, uh…"

"Are you all right, man?" Danny asked, voice concerned.

"Yeah, I just…I'm having a tough day and my sponsor is out of town. I had an argument with my Dad. I was trying to talk to him…to you know…be honest about what I was going through. And he just…" Martin stopped, clearly finding this hard to verbalize.

"Hey, you deserve a lot of credit for being honest with him. It's a big step, Martin. Coming clean, making amends, those are tough get through." Danny almost added, especially with your father, but didn't. "Listen, I'm across the street from my building at the coffee house. Why don't you swing by?"

"Oh Christ, are you in the middle of something? I don't want to interrupt—"

"Don't worry, Martin. It's okay. I'm just having coffee with a friend, but we were wrapping up anyway. Just meet me here. I'll put her in a cab and we'll head to a meeting."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely sure. I promise."

"All right. See you in about five minutes," Martin replied before hanging up the phone.

As Danny closed his phone, he looked up to find Lauren approaching. "Catch a case?" she asked as she slid back into her seat.

"No, but it was one of co-workers. He, um, he's going to be here in a few minutes. He's dealing some tough things and I told him to stop by."

Lauren smiled. "Are you trying to save everyone, Danny?"

Danny shook his head as he looked in her eyes. "Nope. Just the people I care about."

Minutes later, Danny looked up when the door opened to see Martin walk inside. Martin nodded and waved slightly as he walked over.

When Martin approached the table, Danny said, "Lauren, this is Martin Fitzgerald. Martin, this is Lauren Palmer."

"Have we met before?" Martin asked curiously as he carefully regarded Lauren.

Taking Martin's extended hand, Lauren stammered, "Um, I, uh, I don't, I don't think so."

"Lauren Palmer?" Martin asked. "Your name doesn't ring a bell, but you look awfully familiar."

Lauren shrugged as her discomfort level seemed to rise, and then Danny remembered. "The service awards dinner. That must be it. That's where I met Lauren. You probably just saw her there."

Lauren nodded. "That must be it."

"Yeah, must be," Martin replied, but didn't sound convinced. Turning to Danny, he said, "I hate to interrupt. We could just meet later—"

"Nonsense," Lauren said as she rose from the table. "Danny and I were just catching up, and now I have like a million errands to run."

"I appreciate it," Martin replied. "I have to catch the shuttle in a couple of hours. My father had to go away on an emergency business trip for the next week, so I am now responsible for going to the opera with my mother tonight."

"Lucky you," Danny replied sarcastically.

Lauren playfully hit his arm. "The opera is beautiful experience. You'll enjoy it," she said quietly before continuing. "Well, hey, I'll take off now."

"I'll walk you out," Danny said. "Be right back."

When they got outside, he hailed a cab and opened the door. "Thanks for meeting me. I hope you're really as okay as you say you are."

Lauren smiled as she raised up to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm much better now. Listen, would you mind if I called you later?" she asked, her voice suddenly sounding seductive.

Frowning, Danny nodded. "You can call my anytime. You know that."

"Great. Thanks for the coffee," she said before sliding into the cab.

Still frowning as he watched her cab pull away, he slowly made his way back into the coffee house to talk to Martin.

* * *

Lauren knew this was dangerous, but she didn't care. She'd called Danny and gave him directions to her loft.

"_Taylor," Danny answered._

"_Remember earlier when I asked if I could call you later?" Lauren asked._

"_Yeah, but I didn't think you meant later the same day."_

"_Are you busy?"_

"_No, I was just watching a game."_

"_Well, if you could tear yourself away from your game, I think I have a better way to occupy your Sunday evening."_

Danny was at her door within a half hour. Lauren opened the door wearing a short black silk robe.

Danny couldn't help but just take her in as walked in. Then he took a moment to look around the living room.

"This is nice," he started. "You must—"

Lauren interrupted by putting her finger against his lips. "No talking," she whispered and then rose up in her bare feet to kiss him. Danny immediately responded by putting his arms around her and kissing her deeply.

While he continued to kiss her, Lauren did her best to navigate them towards the bedroom while removing Danny's jacket and long-sleeve t-shirt. Once they got to the room, she pulled away from him as they stopped at the edge of the bed. Lauren smiled while biting her lip.

Danny couldn't take his eyes off of her. Slowly, he let his fingers trace over the black silk fabric. Finally, his fingers found the sash holding the robe closed. Still staring into her eyes and now smiling slightly, he untied the sash, slid the robe from her shoulders and let it fall to the ground to reveal a black bra and panties.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Lauren reached out, took hold of the top of his jeans, and pulled him closer to her. She unbuttoned and unzipped them while he gracefully toed off his shoes and socks. Running her hands over his flat, muscled stomach, she kissed the area just below his belly button. She let her tongue explore as she felt his hands tangle in her hair. As her tongue traced the long, rigid scar on his stomach, her fingers tugged at his black boxer briefs. She heard his breath hitch as he slowly tilted her chin up to look at him.

"Not yet," he whispered. "Lay back on the bed."

She pushed herself back on the bed as he crawled onto the bed and hovered above her. He looked down in her eyes for what seemed like an eternity. She arched up once and then again to try to initiate contact with him. She was literally craving his next kiss. Finally, he lowered himself flush against her body and connected his lips to hers. There was nothing hesitant about this kiss. This kiss was a hungry, bruising clash of lips, tongues and teeth. She felt his body writhe against hers and she ached for him to go further, but she also just wanted to enjoy this part. She wanted to enjoy the simple thrill of being kissed and touched by someone, especially this man who seemed to kiss better than anyone else.

After several minutes of a make out session, he broke the kiss and let his lips travel down to her neck again. She felt him marking her as he unhooked her bra in one swift motion. Feeling her breasts make contact with his bare chest made her gasp and grasp his shoulders all at the same time. Her finger involuntarily dug into his back as she felt his warm, wet mouth on one of her nipples. She felt herself arching into him and whimpering in an almost needy, desperate way. His lips continued to explore her breasts as she felt his stubble rub roughly against her skin. Finally, he travel further down her body, kissing her stomach and he worked her panties down her legs. Nothing could have prepared her for what he did next. She stifled a scream into a whimper as she felt his fingers first and then tongue dart inside of her. Her hands reach down to tangle in his hair. As he continued his exploration, she couldn't stop herself from moaning until she finally cried out as she reached one of the most intense climaxes of her life.

Danny worked his way back up her body and smiled as he looked at her dazed expression. "You okay?" he asked softly.

Lauren could barely speak, but she managed to nod. The only thing that kept her from passing out was the need to feel him inside of her. This feeling was heightened because she could feel him straining through his boxers, throbbing against her thigh. "I want you to fuck me," she finally was able to say as she evened out her breathing.

Danny's smile turned into a smirk as he softly kissed her lips. "Whatever you say," he said as he eased back towards the end of the bed. She watched as he reached for his trousers and pulled out his wallet. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as he pulled out the small, foil packet.

He ripped open the packet as he lay on the pillow next to her. "Tell me what you want," he said as he glanced over at her.

Lauren didn't respond. Instead, she snatched the packet from his hand and then rolled over to straddle his stomach. His smile turned to an intense gaze as he watched her above him. This time, she leaned down to kiss him in a bruising, passionate manner. She took her turn as she sucked and nipped at his neck and chest.

Finally, she kissed her way down far enough to remove his boxer briefs. She rolled the condom down his length, and then slowly started to ease him inside of her. She felt his hands grasp her hips to help guide him inside of her. Wincing at the first feel of him, she felt tears form in her eyes.

He loosened his grip on her hips and gently caressed her as he asked her again, "You okay, baby?"

She nodded as she started to move above him. The look of concern on his face made her feel very safe in that moment. His grip tightened again as helped her find a rhythm. Keeping one hand on her hip, he let his other hand slide between them to continue to keep her aroused. Feeling his fingers, Lauren moved even faster against him, and very quickly she found herself on the cusp of another orgasm. This time, she bit down on her lip to try to contain her scream. After she worked through her second orgasm, she looked down at him and he was smiling again. She couldn't believe that he was still inside of her. Her rhythm slowed as she braced her hands against his chest. "You're fucking incredible," she said looking into his eyes. The look on his face told her that she hadn't seen anything yet.

In one swift, graceful movement, he rolled her back, her head falling on the pillow and his mouth came down on hers as he thrust deep inside of her. As he kissed her, he continued to thrust in and out in a mind-blowing rhythm that made Lauren moan and grunt with every jerk of the headboard above them. He worked the thrusts until she reached her third orgasm. She closed her eyes to savor the feeling knowing that this time it would truly end since she was certain he had to come this time. Her moans mixed with his short, gasping breath as he thrusted one final time. His body stiffened above her as he came. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw him watching her as he tried to catch his breathe. He leaned down and kissed her softly before letting his body relax on top of hers. He shifted his weight, but she kept hold him wanting to feel him on top of her for as long as possible.

They both must have fallen asleep for few minutes because the next thing Lauren knew, he wasn't there anymore. Her eyes fluttered open as she immediately felt cold with the absences of his warmth on top of her. She looked down to see that he had pulled up the sheet and blanket to cover her. Sighing quietly, she rolled over and was surprised to see his naked form entering the bathroom. She must have woken up the minute he left the bed. She watched as removed the condom and then moved over to the sink to wash his hands. He rubbed his eyes in obvious fatigue and then he ran a hand through his unruly hair, trying to tame it, but finally gave up. Lauren couldn't help but smile because in this moment she was so happy and content that she could almost forget the hell that was her reality.


	5. Chapter 5

Warning: Remember, this fic is rated M for language, sexual content and some violence.

* * *

Lauren dashed out of the cab and hurried up to the door of her building, while holding a hand over her head in a futile attempt to shield herself from the rain. Shivering, she got into the elevator and made her way up to her apartment.

When she walked in her door, she hastily put her purse and bags down and then made her way to the small guest bathroom. She grabbed the hand towel to dry her face and hair as much possible before putting the groceries away in the kitchen. As she walked out the bathroom, she was startled to see him sitting in the leather chair.

"Hey," she said and then quickly looked down at the way she was dressed. She had on low-rise, loose-fitting, tattered jeans, a peasant top and a hoody jacket. "I didn't know you'd be here. I…" she tried started to explain. He didn't like to see her like this. He always requested that she wear a revealing dress or lingerie.

He didn't say anything in response. He just continued to watch her.

Feeling the burn of his gaze, she thought quickly. "Just give me a minute, I'll change—"

"Don't."

Lauren tried to stop herself from shaking, now more from him than the cold. It was never good when he showed up unannounced, but truly, it was just never good.

He just watched her for a few minutes. She didn't move.

"What did I do?" she finally asked in a timid voice. "Are…are you mad—"

"Go make yourself a drink and then join me out here," he said in a calm tone.

Frowning, Lauren turned to walk toward the kitchen. She poured vodka into a small glass, and then drank it in one quick drink. Then she poured herself another and hesitantly walked back to the living room. As she approached, she noticed that he'd opened a laptop computer. It appeared as though he was watching something. When she got closer, he turned up the volume. Before she even could see the screen, her heart sank.

She heard herself moaning and breathing heavily. Then she heard Danny's low voice asked, "You okay, baby?" Before she got any closer, she heard a crash as her drink fell to the hardwood floor.

"What…oh God…" she said as she took another step forward. The laptop screen showed the images of her and Danny making love. She was moving on top of him, in the midst of an orgasm. The sound of her almost screams filled the room. "Stop. Turn it off," she said as she lurched forward, not wanting him to see her like that.

He grabbed her arm to stop her and push her into the adjacent chair. "Sit there. Don't move," he commanded as he returned to watching the encounter.

Lauren closed her eyes. She couldn't believe it. She had no idea that he'd been taping her. Hearing the sound of Danny's low groan, she opened her eyes. Now he was on top of her, thrusting…panting. Lauren looked at the man. He hadn't taken his eyes off the screen. After Danny climaxed, the man turned the volume down, but left the video playing. The man watched as Danny walked to the bathroom and then return minutes later to take Lauren in his arms.

Finally, the man turned to look at her. "This was a surprise," he said in a cool tone.

Shaking her head, Lauren tried to remain calm. "Am I always being watched?" she asked as she looked around the loft.

"There's a motion sensor in the bedroom. Usually, the camera stops taping when there's no movement in the room."

"So you tape everything…every…time?" she asked, her voice choked with emotion.

"I do, but that's not the point I want to talk about. Where did you meet him?" the man asked as he motioned toward the screen.

"I don't--"

"This will go much easier on you, if you are completely honest. Lie to me, and you will regret it."

Knowing she had no other choice, she admitted, "I met him at that awards dinner at the Ritz, the one you told me to come to."

"So you did fuck him that night?"

Lauren shook her head. "No, we didn't…nothing happened, until later."

"Are you in love with him?"

Lauren looked up, completely caught off guard by the question. "No. I'm not. Considering my current situation, that would be unfair to him, don't you think?" She knew she sounded way too flippant, but she figured things couldn't get much worse.

"Why did you bring him here?" the man asked.

"I don't know," Lauren answered, sincerely wishing she never had brought him here.

He just watched her for a few more moments and then rose. Lauren felt a sense of dread, figuring that he was going to take her to the room now. Reaching down, the man picked up his coat and put it on.

Lauren rose as well, thankful that it seemed like he was leaving.

The man started to walk toward the front door, crunching a couple of pieces of broken glass under him. Before he reached the door, he turned, " Invite him back."

Not sure she heard him right, Lauren said, "What?"

"Bring him back there…and this time, tell him you want to play a game. I want to watch him fuck you while you are handcuffed to the bed."

"Are you crazy? I won't…I can't…"

"It's not a request. It's an order. You'll do it or you'll suffer the consequences. Set it up for Friday," he said before walking out the door.

* * *

**Friday Night**

Lauren's heart was beating a mile a minute and she'd been on the verge of tears all day. She was sitting on the floor with her back against the front door. She'd actually considered leaving town earlier that day. She'd gone as far as packing an overnight bag, but knew the consequences of leaving would be too dire.

When the elevator opened in the hall, she had to swallow hard to stop herself from being sick. Slowly, she rose to her feet and walked over to the sofa. As she was sitting down, she heard him walk through the door.

He walked in and folded his coat over a chair. Then he addressed her. "Is he on his way?"

Lauren shook her head. "He's, um, he's working. He couldn't get away."

With one long stride, he was in front of her; he grabbed her hair and leaned down in her face. "You lying cunt—"

"He's working! He has an unpredictable job!" she pleaded in a desperate, frightened tone.

Getting even closer to her face, he said, "You stupid, bitch! You really think I don't know who he is or that he's an FBI agent? I know exactly who he is. I know exactly who he works with, and I know they don't have a case tonight. So call him. Get him here. Now!" he commanded as he roughly let go of her hair and backed away.

Running her hands through her hair, Lauren took a deep breath. "You know who he is? If you know who he is and who he works with, then how…why would you want to get him involved in this? You're out of your mind. This is a risk you don't want to take," she pleaded with him.

Getting in her face again, he grabbed her chin. "You should have thought about that before you fucked him. You should have thought about that before you brought him here. You're the one who involved him, not me," he said and then pushed her back on the sofa.

Gathering every ounce of strength she had left, she rose and made a feeble attempt to get in his face. "If you want him here, you call him. You tell him about the game, and how you like watch. You tell him what you like," she said as she gained courage with every word. "You've never wanted to watch someone twice. This isn't about me, is it? It's about them? Isn't it? You like watching the men, don't you? He must be your favorite kind to watch, huh? Like the waiter at the party? It's the men you want to fuck, right? That's why you've never fucked me!"

Before she could move, he lunged toward her and put his hands around her neck. "You whore. I'll kill you," he said as he pushed her back onto the sofa.

Lauren didn't make any move to push him away. She actually tried to smile, as he was squeezing the life of her. But before she could pass out, he let go of her. Panting uncontrollably, Lauren tried to catch her breath.

As she tried to catch her breath, Lauren watched as the man walked into the bedroom. She heard the two way-mirrored door close. Sitting up, she wiped her eyes. She knew what she had just done was dangerous, not only for her but for the people she cared about most in the world. But she had no other choice. She couldn't have deceived Danny like that. She had already deceived him, enough.

_Earlier that Morning _

_"Morning. This is a surprise," Danny said as he opened the door to greet her. He'd just gotten out of the shower so he was only wearing a towel._

_"Hey," Lauren responded in a soft tone. "Sorry to stop by so early. I had every intention of going for a run this morning, but I ended up taking a cab here hoping you hadn't left for work yet. Crazy, right?"_

_"No so crazy," he responded ushering her into his apartment and shutting the door. "I was beginning to think you were mad at me."_

_He'd called her a couple of time since they had spent the night in her loft, but she hadn't called him back._

_"No. I'm not mad. I just…"_

_"You just what? Did I do something wrong that night?"_

_Lauren had to take a short breath to stop herself from crying. "You could never do anything wrong, Danny. I just shouldn't have brought you there. That was a mistake."_

_She couldn't do it. She couldn't ask him to be there tonight like that man had wanted. _

_Feeling completely helpless and alone, she just need to find some strength. "Um, would you, um, would you just hold me?" she asked in emotional voice._

_Danny didn't respond, he just put his arms around her and held her tightly against his chest. Gently, he kissed her forehead. Then she looked up at him and let him kiss her lips – soft, tender kisses. And sometimes she forgot how good it could feel to be touched and kissed. _

_"Do you have time?" she whispered in between kisses._

_"Mmm-hmm," he responded before taking her hand and leading her to his bedroom._

He'd been so worried about her. Just thinking about how safe he'd made her feel comforted her.

She snapped back to reality when she heard the door open in the bedroom. Then she heard him opening and closing drawers in the bedroom. Soon after, the man walked out.

"Clean yourself up," he said as he tossed a lacey red teddy at her. "Put that on with the red shoes. They'll be here in twenty minutes. No need to tell them what to do, just do whatever they tell you."

Lauren took a deep breath. She didn't know what concerned her more, the fact that she knew this meant someone was paying for her this time or that he'd said "they".

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After it was over and the man had left, Lauren tried to find the strength to get up off the floor. This time, he hadn't offered to have Charlie take her to the doctor. Slowly and with great pain, she pulled herself up and braced herself against the bed to stand up. Very gingerly, she walked into the bathroom.

They hadn't done much damage to her face. There was redness from stubble-burn and her crying, but she couldn't see any damage until she looked at her neck. It was still red from where he'd tried to strangle her, mixed with various bite marks and bruises. The rest of her body was marked as well, and she was still bleeding.

_Cautiously opening the door, Lauren stomach felt queasy when she saw the two men. They looked like the man from weeks before who thought she was a prostitute. They were both wearing suits and ties and they both wore wedding rings. _

_"Hi," she said in a quiet tone._

_One of the men let out a dry laugh, "Burns was right. She's fucking hot," he said as he nudged the other man._

_The other man smiled. "You fucked one of our friends a while back. We've been trying to set something up with you for weeks, but kept getting a no. Then tonight, I get a call saying you're available, and that you were up for a double."_

_Lauren opened the door wider, resigned to her fate, once again. "I'm up for anything."_

Opening the medicine cabinet, Lauren took out a bottle of pills – strong pain medication that her doctor had given the last time she'd been hurt. The bottle was still almost full. And then she grabbed the half-empty bottle of sleeping pills.

Still naked and with both bottles in hand, she walked to kitchen.

_"We brought some toys," one of the men said. "We heard you like games."_

Opening the freezer door, Lauren took out the half-full bottle of vodka.

_"We both want to do you at the same time."_

Feeling cold, she put on a sweatshirt and sweatpants. Then she sat down on her bed and washed five pills down with a long drink of vodka.

_"You like it when it hurts, don't you, baby?" he said as he tightened the straps around her wrists._

More than five pills this time. Another drink of vodka.

_"We're getting our money's worth tonight. No telling when you'll be available again."_

She laid down after finishing the first bottle of pills. Then she reached for the other one.

_The man walked out of the mirrored door and stood over her curled-up body. "Don't ever deny me again. I own you. Don't ever forget that."_

Lauren took another drink. The vodka was almost gone. When she heard the telephone ring, she was so out of it that it didn't even occur to her that she shouldn't answer.

"…lo," she croaked out.

"Lauren?"

"Da...anny? Dannny?" she started to cry upon hearing his voice.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Good…bye," she said as she let the phone fall to the floor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Pulling out a twenty, Danny tossed it at the cab driver, and said, "Keep it." Dashing out of the cab, he quickly made his way into the front door of Lauren's building. Taking out his FBI credential, he flashed it at the night security man.

"I need to get up to Lauren Palmer's apartment. I think she's in trouble."

"I'll call up—"

"No! I've been calling her for the last fifteen minutes. There's no answer. Now give me a goddamn key to her apartment."

Sigh heavily, the night security man got up from his chair. "I'll take you up there."

Danny just nodded as he headed toward the elevator.

When they got off at her floor, the night security man tried knocking on her door.

"Just open the fucking door or I'll kick it in," Danny commanded.

The man took out his keys and opened the door. Pushing him out of the way, Danny hurried in and scanned the living room before making his way to the bedroom. As he approached, he saw her curled up on the bed. If it wasn't for the almost empty bottles and phone off the hook, he'd have thought she was sleeping.

"Call an ambulance!" Danny shouted to the security man. "Tell them it's an overdose on sleeping pills and Vicodin." And then he bent down and tapped her face lightly. "Lauren, Lauren, wake up. Wake up, baby. Lauren! Lauren!"

Finally, she opened her eyes. "Dann…Sorry…"

"Stay with me. Stay awake. Okay. Let's get you up," he said as he tried to sit her up on the bed.

"No…no…me sleep…please," she muttered.

"No sleeping. You need to get up, baby," he said as he looked in her eyes. "Open your mouth," he said as he tried to see if there were still pills in her mouth. "Come on. Let's get you to the bathroom," he said as he picked her up.

He got her in the shower and turned on the water. She came too a little bit more when the cold water hit her face. Danny grabbed a toothbrush from the sink to attempt to make her vomit. He knew it was the best way to get any undigested drugs out of her.

Laura gagged and tried to push him away as he forced her to throw up. He held her in the shower as she got sicker and sicker. Finally, when she started to sob uncontrollably in his arms, he just turned off the water and held her, knowing that if she continued to cry that she would stay conscience.

Finally, Danny heard the paramedics enter the apartment. Seconds later, they were in the bathroom.

Danny gently laid her against the wall and moved out of the way to give the paramedics access. He showed them the drugs she'd taken and told them that she had thrown up. When they were ready to take her downstairs, he went down with them and got into the ambulance with her.

XXXXXX

Two hours later, Danny sat in the ER waiting room. It was 1 a.m. and he was getting very impatient. He'd asked how Lauren was doing several times, but couldn't get a straight answer other than she was still alive.

Finally, he decided to take it a step further.

"Excuse me," he said to the ER attendant. "I need to see Lauren Palmer, right now."

"I'm sorry, sir. Like I told you before, she is still being treated, and since you aren't family—"

"I'm an FBI agent," he said, showing her his credential. "And I need to see her or her doctor right now."

The attendant inspected the credential and then sighed uneasily. "I'm sorry, sir, but Ms. Palmer was put in a secure room. We were told not to allow you back there until NYPD arrived."

"What? I brought her here. I assure you, this is a mistake—"

"It's no mistake," a voice said from behind him.

Turning around, Danny locked eyes with a man who was wearing a badge. "Who the hell are you?"

"Detective Elliot Stabler, NYPD. We have some questions for you."

"Questions? For me? She overdosed. I called her and realized she was in trouble. I came over, made the security guard let me in, and then I tried to help her. What part of that don't you understand?" Danny asked in a frustrated tone.

The detective smiled slightly. "There are some holes fill in, Mr?"

"Danny Taylor," he said, taking out his FBI id again.

"You're a Fed?" the detective asked in a mock impressed tone.

"That's right."

"Well, then you know the drill. We'd like to question you."

"You want to question me about a suicide attempt? Lauren is okay, right? She didn't—"

"She's alive, but I wouldn't say she's okay," the detective replied in an annoyed tone. "Look, this will go much faster if you just come over here and let me ask you some questions."

Sighing heavily, Danny followed the detective to an empty waiting area.

"Have a seat," the detective said as he sat in one of the chairs. "What's your relationship with Ms. Palmer?"

"We're friends."

The detective nodded thoughtfully. "Just friends?"

"What is this about? What's going on?"

"Are you sleeping with her?"

"Go to hell," Danny said as he started to get up.

"Agent Taylor, I wouldn't walk away right now, if I were you. Walking away makes you look guilty," Detective Stabler stated in a warning tone.

Frowning, Danny shook his head. "Guilty of what? Of helping her commit suicide? I stopped her."

"No. Guilty of rape."

"Rape?" Danny repeated, completely shocked. "She was…I didn't…"

"You didn't?" he asked, clearing not believing Danny. "Then why'd you put her in the shower? To wash your DNA off of her? Right?"

Standing up, Danny tried to control his anger, but was failing. "Fuck you! I didn't rape her. I put her in the shower to wake her up. She was unconscious when I got there."

"Well, someone worked her over tonight. Will you submit to a DNA test?"

Closing his eyes, Danny ran a hand through his hair. "Worked her over? What happened to her?"

"You want to play it this way?" Detective Stabler asked, still not believing him. "Like you don't know what happened? She was raped and sodomized. There are ligature marks on her neck, and a good portion of her body was battered. That's what happened to her, and I'm pretty sure you had something to do with it."

Eyes widening with everything word the detective said, Danny's swallowed hard. "Christ," he muttered as he collapsed back into the chair.

"I think…I think you raped her, then she calls you after taking the pills, so you come back to wash the evidence away."

"No," Danny responded in a distant.

"Then let's take your DNA to prove me wrong."

Danny shook his head as he rubbed his tired eyes in frustration. "That won't prove you wrong. My DNA is probably going to be all over her."

"Now we're getting somewhere," the detective said as he leaned forward.

"No, I mean, I wasn't with her tonight. But we did see each other this morning. She came by my apartment, but I swear to God, I didn't hurt her. I'd never hurt her. And I sure as hell didn't sodomize her. But we did have sex, and there are scratch marks on my back, so she could have my DNA under her nails."

"Did you use a condom?" the detective asked.

Danny nodded. "Look, I'll do whatever you need me to do. Chances are, there's more DNA on her from who actually did this, so if that's the case—"

"Then we can compare yours to anything else we collect," the detective finished, sounding a little more like he believed Danny. "Do you have an alibi for the time before she called you?"

Danny nodded. "We worked a case today. I work Missing Persons. I didn't leave the office until 10. I called Lauren after I got home because I was worried about her. She seemed so sad this morning, and I had to leave quickly…after…because we caught a new case. I just wanted to make sure she was okay."

"I'll be discreet when I check your alibi."

Danny nodded again.

"Do you know of anyone else who could do this? There are no signs of breaking and entering in her apartment."

"There's a another guy. She's involved in this relationship—"

"Danny?" Lauren called out from behind them.

Danny turned and stood up. She was in a hospital issue sweat suit, common for rape victims.

"Lauren, what are you doing out here? You should be lying down," Danny said as he walked towards her.

"You don't think he did anything, do you?" Lauren asked frantically as she looked at the detective.

"We're just establishing what may have happened, Ms. Palmer. Danny's cooperating."

"He didn't hurt me. He wouldn't hurt me. The other detective said you were questioning him, but nothing happened. Nothing happened," she pleaded, almost hysterically.

"Lauren, baby, you need to lie down. You've been through a lot. Don't worry about me. I'm more concerned about you. Who did this to you?" he asked as he tried to stroke her arms, but she shrugged him away.

"There she is!" a nurse called out from behind them.

A woman with dark hair walked up to them. "Ms. Palmer, you need to let us help you."

Detective Stabler interjected, "Agent Taylor, this is my partner Olivia Benson. She was taking Ms. Palmer's statement."

"She's not talking," Olivia responded to her partner.

"You're right. I'm not talking. I want to go home," Lauren said as she looked pleadingly at Danny.

"Lauren, they need to know the truth. They're going to investigate this with or without you," Danny responded in a gentle tone.

"I don't care what they do. I just want to go home. As long as they know you didn't do anything, then I just want to go home. Please," she said as she started to sob. "Please take me home."

Danny looked at the detectives as he sighed deeply. "Okay, let's go."

"Ms. Palmer, you could be in danger," Detective Benson stated.

"I'm not in danger because nothing happened. I wasn't raped. I just took a few too many sleeping pills, but I'm fine now," Lauren replied in a guarded tone.

Danny just gave the detectives an apologetic look as he led Lauren out of the ER.

They didn't say anything in the cab. Lauren sat as far away from Danny as possible and looked out the window. When the cab came to a stop, they got out after he paid the cab driver. As they walked to her front door, Lauren came to an abrupt stop.

"I…I…don't want you to come up with me," she said in almost a whisper.

"You shouldn't be alone."

"I'm fine."

"You were raped."

"I wasn't raped, Danny."

"The detectives said—"

"It doesn't matter what they said, I never said no to anything that happened tonight. And that's all I'm going to say about that," she interrupted on the verge of tears. "I hate that I involved you in my pathetic excuse for a life. I never should have let it get this far. But I can't do anything about the past."

"Why won't you let me help you?"

"I don't need your help. I just need this to end between us. So don't call me. Don't stop by. Just forget you ever met me," she said as she walked back to the entrance of her building.

* * *

Notes: I haven't watched Law and Order: SVU in a long time, but I decided to use the two detectives from that show instead of creating new detectives. If you aren't familiar with them, that's okay. It's not necessary to know them for the story. Stay tuned...the rest of the story is very Danny-heavy and focuses more on his POV, instead of Lauren's. 


	6. Chapter 6

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. I didn't think anyone would like this kind of story. I don't know what inspired me to write it, other than just wanting to see Danny all worried and angsty.

Disclaimer: The WAT characters belong to CBS and the SVU characters belong to NBC. I own nothing.

* * *

**Two Days Later – Monday Morning**

He'd called her three times since he'd dropped her off early Saturday morning, but she hadn't called him back. Several times, he'd had the urge to go to her apartment, but he'd stopped himself – worried that his continued involvement with her had lead to her being hurt.

He'd woken up extra early to get to the office before anyone else. He knew that using FBI resources for personal business was illegal, but he couldn't help himself. The first thing he did was look up who owned the loft, figuring that was the easiest way to find out who Lauren's mystery man is. However, he was very surprised to learn that the loft was in her mother's name. The payment for the loft and all other living expenses were paid out of an account, also in Lauren's mother's name.

The fact that her mother paid for Lauren's living expenses was strange, but what was even stranger was the large cash payments made to the account each month. According to her mother's tax returns, she hadn't ever made more that $40,000 a year. But then Danny remembered that Lauren told him that they were living off her father's pension, so maybe her mother was getting the mother from there.

Danny did what research he could, but couldn't find any connection to this mystery man. The thought occurred to him that maybe she had just made him up for some reason. Maybe she was unstable, especially considering her suicide attempt. Maybe it was better that he not be involved in her drama at all.

"You're here early," Viv said as she walked into the bullpen.

"Hey. Morning, Viv," he responded as he looked up. "Couldn't sleep."

"Rough weekend?" she asked, stopping at his desk.

Frowning, Danny asked, "What makes you say that?"

Smiling slightly, she pointed to his face. "Looks like you lost your razor."

Raising his hand, Danny ran a hand over his chin. He hadn't shaved all weekend and had forgotten to do so before leaving his apartment. "I'm, um, I don't know what I was thinking this morning."

"Well, three-day stubble on most men wouldn't be that dramatic. On you, it looks like your shooting for a full beard," she said as she continued to her desk.

Danny nodded as he smiled sheepishly. Reaching under his desk, he opened his emergency overnight bag. "I should have a shaving kit in here somewhere."

"You okay?" she asked, voice sounding concerned.

"Everything's fine," he said as he rose from his chair with the shaving kit in hand and headed toward the men's room.

After he finished shaving in the men's room, he tried to regain his focus. He had to stop obsessing over Lauren. He'd done everything he could to help her, and if she couldn't be honest with him, then there wasn't much more he could do.

"Danny," an agent called out as he caught up to him in the hall.

"Yeah?"

"There are a couple of NYPD detectives here to see you. I put them in the conference room down the hall," he said, motioning in the other direction.

Sighing heavily, Danny thanked the agent and then headed toward the conference room. Clearly, he couldn't stop thinking about Lauren just yet.

"Hey," he said as he walked in the door.

"Agent Taylor," Detective Stabler greeted. "We, um, we were hoping to finish what we started the other day."

Danny nodded. "If you…if you still need to check my alibi, my boss should be here shortly."

"That won't be necessary. Your office coordinated with NYPD missing persons, so we read the report from Friday."

"Okay, then I'm not sure what else I can do to help you. If Lauren isn't going to talk, then you guys don't have much of a case."

Detective Benson shook her head. "We still have to do our due diligence. She has a rape kit on file. If she decides to talk to us in six months, we need to make sure we've found out everything while the information is still fresh."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Danny took a short breath as he remembered his last conversation with Lauren. "She told me that she…that she didn't say no," Danny admitted in a quiet tone. "According to her, she said she was okay with whatever happened to her on Friday night."

Benson took a step towards him as she folded her arms across her chest. "If you'd read her hospital chart, you wouldn't be able to believe that anyone in her right mind would be okay with that," she responded, emotion brimming in her voice.

Looking up, Danny shrugged. "Well maybe that's the issue," he replied, voice hinting of betrayal. "Maybe she's not in her right mind. She swallowed a lot of pills and a lot of vodka. That's a pretty good indicator of her mental state."

"What was her mental state before that night? What was it like when you saw her that morning?" Stabler asked.

Danny sighed as his eyes widened. "I don't know. I—"

"She couldn't have been too unstable if you had sex with her," Benson said, cutting him off.

Immediately feeling defensive, Danny responded, "She came to me that morning. I cared…I still care about her. That morning, she just seemed preoccupied and a little sad, but not unstable."

"What do you think she's hiding? What about the other man you mentioned when I first questioned you?" Stabler asked.

Danny shrugged as he looked from Benson to Stabler. "I don't know who he is. This morning, I did some research to see if I could get a name, but there's no viable connection between Lauren and any man. I met her at an FBI awards dinner. There were a bunch of politicians and bigwigs. She told me that she was required to be at the dinner by one of the politicians, and she alluded to the fact that he is married."

"You were okay with that, being in a relationship with someone else's mistress?" Benson asked.

Shaking his head, Danny swallowed hard. "I was never okay with it, but I was worried about her."

"Where do you think she is now?" Stabler asked.

"She's not at home?" Danny asked in a confused tone.

Benson shook her head in response. "No. She was cleared out of there by Saturday morning. I stopped by to see if she'd changed her mind about talking to us. Most of her clothes and personal belongings were gone."

Completely surprised, Danny took a short breath. "The only family she's talked about live in D.C. Her mom's name is Kathy Palmer. She has a brother at Georgetown. I don't know if she'd go there or not, but I can't think of anywhere else she may be."

"At this point, we can't really afford the manpower track her down. The ball is in her court. But if you talk to her, you can tell her that we're here if she ever wants to make a statement," Stabler said as he turned towards the door.

Danny just nodded as he escorted the detectives to the elevator.

* * *

**Two Days Later, Wednesday**

The team hadn't caught a new case all week. They'd caught up on all their paperwork, so they were spending time reviewing old case files. Viv had taken the day off to catch up on some things at home, while Samantha had volunteered to pick up some takeout for everyone's lunch, leaving Martin and Danny to continue their case review.

"You know, I don't know whether this is boring because it's depressing or depressing because it's boring," Martin said as he stifled a yawn.

"Well, it'd get more interesting if something would jump out at us…a lead…of any kind…so that we could get the hell out of this office," Danny replied in a frustrated tone.

"Cabin fever?" Martin asked, eyebrows raised.

Danny shrugged.

"Are you all right? You've been distracted all week."

"It's nothing."

"Have heard bad news about your brother?"

Danny shook his head. "No, it's not him."

"Hmmm…then it must be a certain tall, blue-eyed blonde that I met a few weeks ago," Martin said with a teasing grin.

Martin expected Danny to smile slyly in response, but instead his lips tightened in a thin line as he rubbed his eyes in obvious frustration.

Instantly regretting his comment, Martin apologized. "I'm sorry…sorry, man. I shouldn't have—"

"It's all right," Danny interrupted, shaking his head.

"No, it's none of my business."

"Oh come on, Martin. Like I haven't given you a hard time before about your love life?" he replied with a small grin. Danny rubbed his hand over his chin and then took a short breath before saying, "Lauren left town."

Martin's eyes widen in surprise. "Just like that? She's just gone."

"No, not just like that. Basically, she has something going on in her life, and she didn't want me involved in it."

"Was it serious between you two?"

Danny shook his head. "She had too many issue for it to be serious, but if she'd been honest with me or if she'd have let me help her….then who knows?"

Hearing heels clicking, Martin looked up to see Sam entering the bullpen. Sighing slightly, he responded, "For what it's worth, I've been there. If you need to talk—"

"Thanks, but it's really okay," Danny whispered before looking up at Sam with a big smile as if nothing was wrong at all.

"Who's up for Chinese?" Sam said as she put the bag down on the table.

* * *

**One Week Later**

Danny had almost gone two solid days without thinking about her. He'd finally started to sleep without her being his last thought. That's when the detective called him.

"Taylor." Danny answered.

"Agent Taylor? This is Detective Stabler."

"Danny. You can call me, Danny. What is it Detective?" he replied in an annoyed tone.

"Could you meet me at Lauren Palmer's apartment?"

"Why? I thought she was long gone?"

"She is…gone, but we have a few more questions for you, Danny."

Taking a deep breath, Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll be there in half hour."

* * *

"If this isn't an 'official' crime scene, should you guys really be in here without a warrant?" Danny asked as he entered the loft apartment.

Benson and Stabler turned around when they heard Danny's voice. "We have probable cause," Stabler responded.

"Probable cause for what? A sexual assault the victim won't admit even happened?" he asked in a flippant tone.

Benson folded her arms as she took a step towards Danny. "She was reported missing this morning. Your office in Washington contacted us when they heard about what happened to her the night she attempted suicide."

"The D.C. office? Why didn't this get reported to us, the New York Missing Persons Unit?"

"Because she was in D.C. when she disappeared," Stabled replied. "Her mother reported her missing. Apparently, she did go home to her mother when she left last week."

"She reported her missing this morning? When's the last time her mother saw her?" Danny asked.

"Saturday. She hasn't come home since Saturday. Have you heard from her?" Stabler asked.

"Not a word. Any signs of foul play?" Danny asked, his mind immediately going into agent mode.

"Not at first, but then they found her mother's car, which she had borrowed, in a desolate area in Richmond, VA, two hours ago. There was blood in the car."

"Christ," Danny muttered to himself. "Have you found any thing here?"

"You could say that, yeah," Stabler said as he walked toward the bedroom as Benson and Danny followed. "Do you know what's in here?" he asked as he pointed to the mirror.

Danny shook his head. "Looks like a mirror to me. But I've only been here twice, the second time was when she OD'd."

Benson reached out and pulled out the mirror to reveal a room on the other side. The room, about the size of a small bedroom, had a small refrigerator and wet bar. There was a chair directly in front of the two-way mirror. Danny's stomach turned as he noticed that the chair had a perfect view of the bed.

"What is this?" he asked in a small tone.

"We're guessing Lauren's mystery man does indeed exist, and he has some disturbing habits," Benson said as she opened a closet door next to the wet bar.

Danny's breath caught at the sight of the makeshift torture chamber. Leather straps were affixed to four corners of the closet, as well as other 'devices' that would obviously be used to hurt someone while they were restrained.

"Did you ever notice anything? Bruises? Scars?" Stabler asked as he watched Danny's expression go from stunned to horrified.

Danny nodded as he tried to find the words to respond. "She…she said she was accident prone…two left feet. I didn't really believe her, but I didn't push her," he replied softly, remembering that he hadn't wanted to start a dialogue explaining each other's scars.

"There's more," Stabler said.

Danny looked at him with frightened eyes.

"A motion-sensor video camera built into the base of the mirror," he said as he opened a small panel on the back of the mirror. "Someone made an effort to erase everything on the hard drive, but our techies think they can restore it, so maybe we can get a picture of this guy."

"Do you have any idea why or how she got involved in this?" Benson asked him.

Danny shrugged as he looked helplessly at the detectives. "She always used words like 'required' or phrases like 'no choice'. I, uh, I asked her once if he was paying her bills…if her obligation was financial…but she insisted it wasn't. So I have no idea why she was involved with this guy or why she wouldn't accept my help when I told her I'd help her find a way out," he replied in almost desperate frustration, before taking a deep breath. He closed his eyes for a moment to try to collect his thoughts. "But there might be a way to find a list of possible suspects."

"What way?" Benson asked.

"The FBI service awards dinner at the Ritz. There has to be a guest list. I know he was there and I know he's married. That's got to narrow the list a little."

"I'll track that down," Stabler said as he opened his phone and walked away.

"Who's your bureau contact on Lauren's case?" Danny asked Benson.

"Special Agent Ryan Meadows in D.C.," Benson replied.

"What's your next step here?" he asked, looking around the apartment.

"We're headed back to the office to see if the techs found something. Also, we're waiting for fingerprints. The CSI team just left. We're still waiting to see if Lauren's blood was in the car. The agents in DC are questioning her family."

"You…you mind if I tag along for a while?" Danny asked, his voice hesitant.

"D.C. probably won't like it. You know, you're still considered suspect, considering your relationship with her."

Danny pulled out his phone. "I'll call my boss right now. He'll clear it with Meadows in D.C. And hey, if you need to question me again, I won't be far away.

Benson just nodded as she turned to walk out to the living room.

Danny took one final look at the ominous room before walking out as well.

* * *

**72 Hours Missing**

It took a little convincing, but Jack finally relented and told Danny he'd called Meadows. He also granted Danny permission to take some personal time to assist Benson and Stabler any way he could. Danny appreciated that Jack trusted his judgment with very little question, although Danny knew he'd have to explain himself later.

Danny followed Benson and Stabler into the open, but run-down office. They introduced him to a few other Special Victims' Unit detectives. They also let him sit in while they debriefed their lieutenant. While they were in the debriefing, they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

After Stabler opened the door, the CSI tech poked his head in. "Excuse me, detectives. We have some new info on the Palmer evidence."

Benson and Stabler immediately moved toward the door and Danny followed.

Before Danny could get very far, the lieutenant called out, "You're on a very short leash, Agent Taylor. You're walking a very fine line here. If one of my detectives asks you to step away, you step away. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir. Understood. I just want to help find her," Danny replied, voice full of earnest.

After the warning, Danny followed Benson and Stabler to the CSI lab three floors below them. On the elevator ride down, Danny could have sworn the CSI tech was staring at him, but every time he looked up, the tech looked away.

When they entered the lab, the tech presented his findings. "First, we got no prints from any surface in the loft. It was wiped down. I'd ventured to say it was done by a professional. That's the first red flag. Second, I just spoke to our FBI lab contact in D.C. The blood in Palmer's car wasn't her blood type, and it belonged to a man."

Danny tried not to visibly sigh in relief at that news.

The tech glanced at Danny nervously. He took a deep breath as he continued. "We also recovered data from the video recorder in the bedroom. Most of the clips were short, just of Palmer getting into bed, alone. The motion sensor cuts off if there isn't sustained movement for more than fifteen seconds. But we also found some rather disturbing footage."

"How…how far back is the footage from?" Danny asked and now he sounded nervous.

"It's not time/date stamped, so it's hard to tell. It just stores eight hours of footage, and then it starts overwriting itself. Most likely, whoever monitors the camera would download footage to a flash drive or a DVD, and then let the video overwrite itself."

"Can you make out faces in the footage where Palmer isn't alone?" Stabler asked.

"Yeah, uh…" the tech stammered as he glanced at Danny again.

Danny's eyes narrowed as he watched the tech stumble over his words. "I'm on it. Right?" Danny asked, cutting to the chase.

The tech nodded hesitantly as Benson and Stabler exchanged uneasy glances. "Yes. I fast-forwarded the footage, and only stopped to get good head shots of the men."

"Men? How many were there besides Agent Taylor?" Benson asked.

"Four, in addition to him," the tech replied as he glanced at Danny again. "The last clip showed the missing person with two men. That was the most disturbing footage, but all four roughed her up pretty good. They, um, they'd tie her up, and one of them beat her up pretty badly. She wasn't fighting them, though."

Taking a deep breath, Danny sat down on a stool by the lab desk.

"You all right?" Stabler asked as he looked at Danny.

Danny nodded. "Let's see the pictures. I may recognize someone from that party,"

The tech handed Danny the small stack of pictures. As he looked at each picture, he felt more and more sick. They all had leering, almost sinister expressions. And then he came to his own picture.

"I should have removed that," the tech said as he reached for it, but Danny kept hold of it.

The picture was of him and Lauren as they stood in front of bed right before he undressed her. He was smiling and lightly kissing her forehead.

"Did you know there were other men?" Benson asked, voice not really accusing.

Shaking his head, Danny responded. "I had no idea. And none these guys look familiar."

"Well that makes sense, actually. I'm thinking whoever the mystery man is just a voyeur," Stabler suggested. "Either Palmer hooks up with these guys or the mystery man arranges it."

"Would you excuse us for a second," Benson said as she looked at the CSI tech.

"Sure, I'll just be over there if you need me."

Benson turned to Danny. "I need to ask you—"

"I never did anything like that to her. She never asked me to do anything like that. I never tied her up. I never hit her. I never—"

"Did she say anything about taping your encounter? Is that why she brought you to her apartment?"

"She never mentioned the video thing or that room. But I remember after we spent the night there, she said that she regretted bringing me there. I don't think she knew about it, at least not that night. I…I can't believe…"

"We need to find out who these men are," Stabler said as he picked up the photos from the table.

"And when you find them, I want to be in there when you question them," Danny responded in an almost unconscious, dazed tone.


	7. Chapter 7

Warning: Remember, this fic is rated M for language, sexual content and some violence.

Disclaimer: The WAT characters belong to CBS and the SVU characters belong to NBC. I own nothing.

* * *

**75 Hours Missing**

"She's a hooker."

Stabler's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Lauren Palmer is a prostitute?" he asked.

"Dude, I have no idea what her name is, but that woman in the photo is a very high-priced whore," the man replied as he motioned to the photo on the table showing him and Lauren. "Someone I work with hooked up with her through an escort service a couple of weeks before. He said she was hot, so I called the service."

"You and your friend?" Stabler asked as he held up on the other video photos from Lauren's room.

"Yeah, we didn't know when she'd be available again, so I asked if she'd be up for both of us."

In the observation room, Danny's clenched his jaw. He could feel the stare of Detective Benson next to him as if she was waiting for him to lose it.

"How did you get into contact with her?" Stabler asked.

"Look, if you want to charge me with some misdemeanor soliciting violation, go ahead. Otherwise, I don't know why the hell you called me down here."

"How about because she's missing, and those photos were taken from a video that showed you and your friend sexually assaulting her a week before she went missing."

"Sexual assault? Are you crazy? Dude, we paid her! The service we went through said she was up for anything. I had no idea she was taping it, but as I recall, she never told us to stop what we were doing. And I haven't seen her since that night."

"What service did you go through?" Stabler asked, voice full of disdain for the man in front of him.

"It's called Perfect Connections. On the surface, it's a dating service, but if you give them enough coin, they'll find you someone who'll do just about anything."

* * *

"This is insane. Why am I here?" Robert Wellington asked.

"You're a suspect in the disappearance of Lauren Palmer," Stabler replied matter-of-factly.

"Lauren Palmer? Who the fuck is Lauren Palmer?" Wellington asked in an angry tone.

Elliot took out a photo from the file folder and slid it in front of Wellington. "That's Lauren. And that's you," he said as he motioned to the figures in the picture. "You worked her over but good."

Wellington took a deep breath. "That bitch," he muttered.

"Excuse me?" Stable asked, leaning forward.

"She videotaped it? I knew that cunt was too good to be true. Look, what do you want? To arrest me for solicitation? I didn't solicit anything. A legit dating service, Perfect Connections, set it up. As for her 'disappearance', I haven't seen her since that night. And I've been in Hong Kong on business for the last two weeks."

"I could arrest you for assault. The tape shows you beating the crap out of her."

Wellington laughed. "And she loved every minute of it. She was the easiest lay I've ever had. I think she got off on the pain. _I know I did_. Can I go now?"

Stabler just nodded as Wellington rose from the table with a smirk firmly in place.

In the observation room, Benson watched as Danny hadn't taken his eyes off Wellington. Before she could react, Danny opened the door and walked out.

"Hey," he called out from behind Wellington.

Wellington turned and responded, "What now?"

Danny's brow was etched in a severe frown. His heart was beating so fast and he felt like he could jump out of his skin.

"Danny, he's not worth it," Stabler said from behind him. "Let him go. He won't help us find her."

Danny continued to stare down Wellington.

"What's your problem?" Wellington asked, returning the glare.

"Do your wife and daughter know that you like the beat up girls?" Danny asked, eyes still trained on Wellington.

"Fuck you! I'm done here. You…all of you…leave me and my family alone or I will sue you all for slander," he said as he backed away and continued out of the office.

Danny had to resist every urge he had not to run after the man and beat the hell out of him. The only thing that stopped him was the knowledge that NYPD would make him leave if he did.

"That was a wise decision, Agent Taylor. Letting him go," Stabler said. "They're bringing in the last guy from the photographs. You think you can handle it?"

"I'm fine," Danny replied quietly as he turned and walked back into the observation room.

* * *

"I…uh…I work for an escort service."

"An escort service?"

"Yeah, you know, it started with escorting old ladies to parties. And then I started getting calls to entertain men. That paid more, so I started doing that. But the thing with that girl was strange. I mean, it was easy money, but it was strange."

"What do you mean strange?" Stabler asked.

"Well I get there, and I think a guy has set it up. But this hot girl answers the door. She told me exactly what she wanted me to do to her."

"And what was that?"

"She wanted to be handcuffed to the bed and fucked from behind. She said the rougher and more commanding I was, the more he would like it."

"He?" Stabler asked, eyebrows raised.

"She told me that someone was watching the whole thing, but I didn't know I was being taped," he said as he motioned toward the photograph. "Look, I did what she told me too, but I tried not to hurt her. She seemed like a nice girl. I hope nothing bad happened to her."

"What escort service do you work for?"

"Um…it's called Perfect Connections. It's supposed to be like a dating agency, but they make their money off the sex-for-hire stuff. Since I'm cooperating, you'll see what you can do about that drug charge, right?" Jessie asked.

"If what you've told us leads to Ms. Palmer's safe return, then we'll see what we can do," Stabler said as he rose from the table and walked out of the room.

Seconds later, he entered the observation room where Danny had been watching.

"Perfect Connections seems to be the common thread," Stabler said as he approached him. "The three men who thought Lauren was a prostitute were sent to her by Perfect Connections."

"As soon as he mentioned it, Detective Benson went back to her desk to track that down."

"Strange. I mean, I wonder why the man is who had been setting this up, all of sudden started pimping her out. Why the change?"

"According to the timeline, the three Johns came after she met me. Maybe she was being punished," Danny responded in a quiet, guilt-ridden tone as he kept his eyes focused on the young man in the interrogation room.

"Could be," Stabler agreed. "Listen, I don't know what you are used to seeing in Missing Persons, but even for us, this is pretty twisted."

Danny nodded. "What's even more twisted is that she and I were seeing each other while all of this was happening to her, and yet, she wouldn't let me help her. I don't get it."

"I'd say she's in deep trouble with this man, whoever he is. And for whatever reason, she couldn't tell anyone."

"Hey, Elliot," a man said as he walked into the room. "Did you ask a Charlie Greer to meet you here?"

"Char—"

"I did," Danny cut in. "I asked him to come down."

"Who is he?"

"I tracked him down through a limo service. He would occasionally drive Lauren to the places she was required to be. I, uh, I forgot to tell you. Sorry."

"Don't make that a habit," Stabler said as he walked out of the room.

After speaking to Benson for a few minutes, Stabler came back to talk to Danny. "You and I are going to question the limo driver. Olivia is headed over to Perfect Connections right now."

Danny nodded in appreciation. "Thanks."

"Come on. He's waiting downstairs for us. He doesn't want to leave his car unattended."

Minutes later, they approached a young, black man who was leaning against a limousine as he took a drag on a cigarette.

"Charlie Greer," Elliot asked as he flashed his ID.

"Yes, sir. You want to talk to me about Ms. Palmer?"

"We want to know who paid you to drive her around."

"Her account is in Karen Palmer's name, her mom I think. Every time I drive her, that account is deducted."

"Who tells you where to take her?" Danny asked as he made a mental note that once again, Lauren's mother was behind the money.

Greer smiled as he met Danny's eyes. "I remember you. You were with her that night that she left the party earlier than she was supposed to. Over a year I've been driving Ms. Palmer, and I don't ever think I had seen her smile before that night. I sure as hell had never heard her laugh like that before."

"Who…who tells you where to take her?" Danny asked again, his voice weak as he remembered that first night in the car with her.

"She usually calls me, but a few times, I've gotten a call from a man."

"What man?" Elliot asked quickly.

"Don't know who he is, but he's not a nice guy."

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever he calls me, it's usually because Ms. Palmer needs medical attention. I've probably taken her to a doctor four times in the last year. The last time, her face was pretty messed up, a bruised eye and a fat lip. I asked her if she wanted to go to the police instead, but she said no."

"Who's her doctor?" Danny asked.

"A Dr. Cameron, at 76th and Park. That doctor would meet her at the drop of the hat…in the middle of the night…whenever."

* * *

As Danny and Stabler got out of the car at 76th and Park, Stabler's phone rang.

"Stabler," he answered. "What do you got, Olivia?"

Danny just listened as Stabler talked to his partner. When he finished, he looked up at Danny as he closed the phone. "This is getting weirder and weirder."

"What do you mean?"

"The staff at Perfect Connections wasn't very forthcoming, but after being pressed, they told Olivia that Lauren is on their client list. Then they admitted that they received a $50,000 cash retainer on her account. They say a man calls on Lauren's behalf to set up the meetings, but they don't know more than that. Olivia's getting a subpoena for their phone records."

"What about the other three guys? Did they explain why Lauren all of sudden started turning tricks?"

"They just said that the same man who would ask for escorts called one day to see if anyone was willing to pay for Lauren."

"And just like that – they send someone to her without even talking to her? That's crazy," Danny responded in an incredulous tone.

"I guess that's what fifty grand in cash buys you," Stabler said as they walked into the doctor's office.

Walking into the waiting area, they looked around for a receptionist, but no one was at the desk. Danny tapped on a little buzzer to see if someone would come out. A minute later, the door behind the desk opened and a young woman walked out.

"Can I help you?" she asked as she took a seat behind the desk.

"I'm Detective Stabler and this is Special Agent Danny Taylor with the FBI. We have a few questions about one of Dr. Cameron's patients. Is she here?"

For a moment the young woman locked eyes with Danny as Stabler was speaking, then just as quickly, she looked away.

"Dr. Cameron is with a patient. May I ask who you have questions about?"

"Who are you?" Danny asked.

"My name is Robin Phillips. I'm Dr. Cameron's part-time receptionist."

"Lauren Palmer," Elliot said, answering Robin's question. "Do you know her?"

Danny regarded Robin closely when Elliot told her Lauren's name. A look of worry crossed her eyes as soon as she heard the name.

"Do you know Lauren?" Danny asked in a low voice.

"I, um, well, I mean, I know her as one of Dr. Cameron's patients. I—"

"Do you know who I am, Robin?" Danny asked, voice still low and hesitant.

Stabler almost did a double-take at Danny presumptuous statement.

"I, um, I—"

"You're friends with her, aren't you?" Danny interrupted.

"Not exactly, but I do know her," Robin finally admitted.

"How do you know her?" Danny continued as Stabler stayed silent since Danny was getting such good results.

"I shouldn't…I can't…"

"She's in trouble, Robin. We can't find her. Do you know where she is?"

"No. I promise I don't. I haven't spoken to her in weeks, but she did call to let me know that she was leaving town and wouldn't be able to continue our sessions."

"Sessions? What sessions?"

"Robin took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm in my third year of Columbia's Master's program in psychology. Lauren agreed to be one of my subjects in my clinicals. She's been coming to me for therapy for the last four months."

"You're her psychologist, then?" Danny asked.

"Sort of. I mean, I'm not licensed or anything. We recruit volunteer patients so we can get practical experience in our clinicals. When Lauren came here for an appointment about six months ago, she asked if Dr. Cameron could refer her to a therapist because she didn't have anyone she could talk to. The only problem was that she didn't have any insurance, so she couldn't pay for it. Dr. Cameron suggested that she participate in my program. So eventually, Lauren agreed. I've been seeing her every two weeks for the last few months.

"Can you tell us who has been hurting her?"

Robin shook her head. "No. I'm sorr-"

"You're not a licensed psychologist. There's no doctor/patient privilege here. Lauren is in real trouble, Robin."

"No, I mean, I don't know who was hurting her. She never told me his name. But he's a real bastard."

"Did she tell you how she got involved with him?" Danny asked, his voice sounding frustrated.

Robin shook her head again. "Not really. I—"

"Well then what the hell did she tell you? You're her therapist for Christ's sakes," he asked, sounding more and more angry.

Stabler put his hand on Danny's forearm. "That's enough, Danny. Listen, Robin, we need to know whatever she may have told you. She's been missing for over three days."

Lauren took a deep breath as her gaze went from Stabler to Danny. When her eyes met Danny's desperate stare, she let out the breath she'd been holding and said, "She made it sound like he owned her, like she had no other choice than to do exactly what he said. One of the last times I talked to her, I told her she should go to the police. She said that this man was more powerful than the police. It was like she was in prison…she was miserable…truly miserable, until…"

"Until when?" Danny asked.

"Until she met you."


	8. Chapter 8

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. I didn't realize how much I'd appreciate them until I started to receive them. Since I've found them so enjoyable to read, I've figured out how to enable anonymous reviews.

Warning: Remember, this fic is rated M for language, sexual content and some violence. 

**80 Hours Missing**

Danny stepped off the elevator and quickened his pace as he walked toward Jack's office. When he saw Jack at his desk, he walked into the office and started talking. "I need to go to D.C., Jack—" before he finished, he noticed that Vivian was sitting in the chair across from Jack. "Oh, sorry. Excuse me, Viv. I, um, I need to talk to Jack."

Jack and Vivian exchanged a worried glance before Vivian responded, "Are you all right, Danny? You look—"

"I'm fine. I'm just…I think I'm close to figuring something out, and I need to go to D.C."

"This is about Lauren Palmer?" Jack asked.

Danny nodded.

"We just started a new case, a missing eight year old, about an hour ago. I was just about to call you back in to start working on it," Jack said.

Running a hand over his chin, Danny tried to reign in his frustration. He knew if Jack thought he was losing his cool that he wouldn't let him go anywhere. "I can't, Jack. I think I'm really close to finding her, and I need to finish this."

"I'll get you in touch with Ryan Meadows in D.C. He's leading the investigation—"

"I know who he is," Danny interrupted and then immediately regretted it when he saw Jack's annoyed glare. "I'm sorry. I just…I can't just hand this information off. I need to follow this through."

"We have a case that takes priority," Jack responded, not backing down.

"Then I'll take personal leave to work on it. I have tons of time to take."

"You can take as much personal leave as you want, but I won't grant you permission to work on a case in D.C. Meadows is already pissed that I let you work with NYPD."

"For Christ's sake, Jack. Why are you doing this? This is important to me. Viv…" Danny's voice pleaded as he looked at Vivian for help.

Vivian regarded Danny closely for a few moments. "Why don't you just listen to what Danny wants to do, Jack? Our missing kid is looking more and more like a child custody thing. The four of us can handle it without Danny."

"That's not the point—"

"All I'm saying is that you should listen," Vivian said as she rose from her chair. "I'm on my way to interview that doctor we were talking about," she said as she walked to the door. Before leaving, she reached out and gently patted Danny's arm.

"You have five minutes," Jack said as he motioned for Danny to take a seat. "And your damn lucky that Viv thinks the world of you and can never say no to you."

Sitting down quickly, Danny started, "Lauren is or was involved with this man who seems to be in some position of power, either politically or in law enforcement. Jack, this guy was hurting her…in ways that I don't even want to describe. He has some kind of power over her, so she didn't think anyone could help her. I think he's done something to her."

"But you don't know who he is?"

Danny shook his head. "He covers his tracks like a pro. No traceable phone records. He uses a cloned cell phone. Her apartment was wiped clean of all prints. And there's all this money that has to be coming from him, but we can only trace it back to Lauren's mother."

"Her mother?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. That's why I need to go to D.C. All the money is leading back to her mother."

_"So your therapy with Lauren is free, but how does she pay for Dr. Cameron's services without insurance?" Stabler asked as he and Danny were still extracting information from Robin._

_"Oh, I, um, I don't know if I can give you that information. It's a part of Lauren's hospital file and that's protected health information."_

_"No, the protected health information is her treatment. You can tell us who's paying the bills," Danny countered. He wasn't sure that was true or not, but he figured it was worth a shot._

_"She can't tell you anything," a female voice called out from an open door on the other side of the desk._

_Danny and Stabler looked over to find a tall woman in a white doctor's coat. _

_"Dr. Cameron?" Stabler asked as he flashed his badge._

_"Yes. What is this about?"_

_"It's about one of your patients, Lauren Palmer."_

_"What's happened to her?" the doctor asked._

_"You tell us," Danny countered. "You tell us what's happened to her and why the hell you never reported any of it to the police."_

_"You're out of line," the doctor said as she walked towards them._

_"Am I? You're a doctor. Your supposed to help people, but you never helped Lauren."_

_Stabler's first instinct was to cut Danny off, but he couldn't agree with him more._

_"If you treated Lauren for assault, you were required by law to report it," Stabler said in support of Danny._

_"She told me she wasn't assaulted," the doctor replied._

_Sighing heavily, Danny shook his head. "She wasn't? We have videotape of her being hurt at least twice in the last two months."_

_"Look, I'm not at liberty to tell you anything."_

_"Can you tell us why you treat her any time, day or night? We heard that you are at her beck and call."_

_"No. I can't," the doctor responded in a cold tone. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do."_

_They watched helplessly as the doctor left the reception area._

_As Danny walked to car alongside Stabler, he felt himself getting more and more angry. Part of him wanted to go back in there, and interrogate the doctor until she told them something. Just as he was about to turn around, his cell phone rang._

_"Taylor," he answered, voice tense._

_"Hi. It's Robin, the girl you just talked to," she whispered. _

_"I know who you are. Why are you whispering?"_

_"I don't want Dr. Cameron to hear me. I'm in the bathroom. I got your number off the card you gave me. I want to help Lauren any way I can. And I know how much she trusts you."_

_Sighing in relief, Danny replied, "Okay. Good. What can you tell me?"_

_"You wanted to know how Lauren pays her medical bills?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"The bills go to Karen Palmer, Lauren's—"_

_"Lauren's mother. Christ," Danny muttered to himself. "Why does Cameron treat Lauren at will like that?"_

_"Lauren says that Dr. Cameron has been a friend of her mother's since forever."_

"All the money goes back to Karen Palmer. Dr. Cameron is an old family friend. It's as though all these people who are somehow connected are controlling Lauren. I have to believe that Karen Palmer knows who this mystery man is."

"Danny, I'm sure Meadows has already talked to the mother. Hell, she's the one who reported Lauren missing. Why don't you just give Meadows this information and let him interrogate the mother."

"I just want to be there, Jack. I'll give the information Meadows. I'll let him lead the interrogation, but I have to be there. I have to be there for Lauren."

Jack closed his eyes for a moment and then took a short breath before opening his eyes. "Are you in love with this woman?"

Rolling his eyes, Danny shrugged. "I don't know," he replied in a quiet, almost weak tone. "We haven't even spent that much time together, really. But I do care about her very much. And I hate that she was in so much pain while we were together, and she wouldn't or couldn't let me help her. So I want to help her now."

Jack nodded slightly. "Look, my hesitation over this isn't because I don't trust you or your instincts."

"I know that."

"I just don't want you to get in over your head, and I don't want you to get into trouble."

"I won't. I promise, I won't," he replied in earnest.

"Okay, I'll call Meadows and tell him you're on your way. You have to be diplomatic about this, Danny," Jack counseled. "That's the only way they won't send your ass home."

"I got it, Jack. Thank you," Danny said as he rose from the chair.

"Good luck. I hope she's okay," Jack said in a supportive tone.

"Me, too," Danny replied quietly as he walked out the door.

An hour later, Danny settled into a seat as the shuttle plane started down the runway. He'd be in D.C. in less than an hour. Closing his eyes, he tried to rest, but he kept thinking of Lauren and the times she'd told him things. Maybe she'd told him more about herself and her situation than he had originally thought.

_From what Lauren could tell, Danny was still asleep. His breathing was even and deep. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest against her back. She could feel his lips against the curve of her neck. _

_It was early, maybe 5 a.m. The evening before, they'd watched a movie in his bed and had both fallen asleep. It was the first time that she had spent the night with him and they hadn't had sex. It was the first time she had spent the night with any man and not had sex. _

_Lauren smiled as she closed her eyes, deciding to sleep a while longer, but something between being awake and asleep, she felt Danny's hips shift even closer to hers. Still on the verge of sleep, her stomach tightened a bit at feeling his hardness against her thigh. Involuntarily, she scooted back against him. Upon feeling the contact, she heard Danny groan as he grasped her hip._

_Then she felt his fingers trace over her stomach and dip under the top of her panties. Still not waking completely, she moaned when she felt his fingers make contact and start moving against her. Almost instantly, she felt wet and she whimpered slightly when he took his fingers away._

_For a few moments, he moved away from her, but just as quickly he was back, flush against her back. Slightly more awake, she felt a little nervous. He hadn't kissed her good morning. He hadn't said a word to her, and yet, she knew exactly what was going to happen next._

_The next thing she felt were his fingers tugging her panties down. She made an attempt to roll onto her back so she could see him, but his body blocked her from moving. She thought about breaking the silence between them, but her nervousness and fear kept her quiet. He'd never been like this before. In the few times they'd slept together, he'd always been more playful and talkative. So this made her nervous…nervous that he wasn't who she thought he was, and that he was like every other man she'd been with in the last year._

_And then she felt him…his fingers first to make sure she was still wet, and then his thigh nudging her legs open. Then, slowly and much more gently than she had anticipated, he entered her. He started moving his hips in a slow rhythm. Lauren's nervousness and fear were quickly replaced by the most sensual feeling she'd ever felt. She closed her eyes, almost as though she wanted to experience this in a dream-like state. _

_She felt his lips on her neck as one of his traveled up under her tank top to her breast. He teased her nipple with his thumb and forefinger as he continued to move inside of her. Lauren's breathing became more and more rapid as she couldn't help but moan in pleasure. Usually, she hated feeling powerless during sex, but this was different. The way he was moving inside of her and the way he was touching her was making her crazy. _

_His rhythm and pace was still agonizingly slow as she started to come. She had to bite her lip to stop herself from begging him to go faster. She was fighting between wanting to come and wanting enjoy every second of the way he was making her feel. _

_Her breathing became ragged and she was panting in pleasure as he finally started to thrust faster. She took hold her pillow to brace herself as she continued to moan with every thrust until finally they climaxed together._

_He still hadn't said a word, but she could feel his breath against her neck, and she became aware that at some point he had taken her hand in his because he was still holding it._

_Finally after several minutes of just lying in each other's arms, he gently pulled out of her and rolled onto his back. Slowly, she turned so she could face him, and she proceeded to study his profile as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes. _

_"That was quite a wake-up call," she finally said, and then closed her eyes in embarrassment at her corny choice of words._

_His lips turned up into a small smile. "I should have warned you last night. I'm morning person through and through. Sometimes I don't realize what I'm doing. Sorry if I—"_

_"Don't apologize. I kind of like that I got experience that aspect of your personality by the element of surprise. I've never…" she started, but then stopped._

_"You've never what?" he asked as he sat up in the bed and swung his legs over the side._

_"I, um—"_

_"Hold that thought," he said as he stood up. "I'll be right back," he said as he went into the bathroom and shut the door. Even though he had been half-asleep, he had still remembered to use a condom. _

_A few minutes later, he returned to bed and pulled Lauren into his arms. "You've never what?"_

_"It's…I don't want to freak you out or anything. I'm not looking for anything serious, but I've never felt this safe with anyone before. I used to think sex was just this physical release, but when we're together…it feels like so much more."_

_"I know what you mean. When I was younger, I used to be a lot more casual, you know? And then I made a concerted effort to stop being such a jerk, and to really get to know someone before all the physical stuff. I've found, with age, that it's much better when you genuinely care about someone."_

_"So that's why you didn't invite me up to your apartment the night I met you?" she asked as she looked up into his eyes._

_"That was definitely part of it," he replied quietly, kissing her forehead._

_"Do you think people have a life-defining moment?" she asked suddenly, after laying her on his chest. "Where there's this one moment where, something happens, and the whole trajectory of your life is altered? Where even if this moment is false, it can still change everything."_

_Frowning, Danny smiled slightly as he traced his fingers up and down her back. "What are you talking about?"_

_"I mean, something can happen to you, but you didn't mean for it to happen and you're not that type of person, but because it happens…that's who you become."_

_Danny smiled again as his eyes widened. "That's deep. I'm going to need a little more explanation on that one, I'm afraid."_

_"You swear you won't judge me?" she whispered._

_"I promise. I won't," he replied as he squeezed her shoulder in support._

_"I was always a really dramatic kid. I wanted to be the center of attention. I was the apple of my father's eye and worked very hard to be the apple of everyone else's as well. Teachers loved me. I was voted most popular. I had it all or so I thought," she started in a distant tone as if she was reliving a memory._

_"What happened?"_

_"My mom and I were never all that close. I mean, we never argued, but we never really talked either. Anyway, when I was eighteen, I got an internship at this off-Broadway theater house in Manhattan. My parents wanted me to go to college, but all I wanted to do was come to New York to be an actress. I figured I'd get discovered at the theater and I'd be on my way, and the director of the theater house told me much of the same. I swear I think he played me from the moment I walked in the door."_

_"Played you?" he asked, voice sounding concerned._

_"He was this young, up and coming playwright. He said that I was his muse, and he was going to write me a part to make me a star. I fell right under his spell. Within a month of working for him, I went from being a naïve virgin to his lover."_

_"But he never wrote you that great part? Did he?"_

_"No, but he did get me pregnant," she replied in a quiet, hesitant tone._

_"That's…that's definitely life-defining."_

_Lauren's eyes filled with tears. "I couldn't tell my father, so I told my mother – hoping that she'd help me through it."_

_"And did she?"_

_Lauren shrugged. "I remember she said that she wasn't surprised and was almost thankful that it hadn't happened in high school. She'd just assumed that I had been promiscuous the whole time. Of course, coming home pregnant didn't exactly prove her wrong."_

_"What happened to the baby?"_

_"She told me that I had to have an abortion. Of course, when I first found out, I thought the same thing. But thinking it's the right thing and actually doing it are two very different things. God, it was horrible. What made it even worse is that she told my father about it after the fact. He came to me and asked if it was true, and I just dissolved into tears. He never looked at me the same way again after that."_

_"Why'd your mom do that? Why'd she tell him?"_

_"I don't know. I still don't know. But the whole experience made me feel like I was somehow defective or bad. That's what I mean by a life-defining moment. I've never been able to get past being that girl…when my mother looks at me all she sees is a whore."_

_Frowning, Danny tightened his grip around her. "You were a kid. You shouldn't be carrying that around after all this time. It's been five years, for Christ's sake."_

_"It's tough…it's really tough to change when everyone in your life sees you one way."_

_Danny tilted her chip up so he could look into her eyes, and then he carefully regarded her for several moments. "You know, up to a point, I agree with your life-defining moments theory. But what you don't seem to realize is that you get more than one."_

_Lauren shook her head. "I don't see how. I don't see how I can change the path I'm on."_

_"Trust me when I tell you that you get more than one. You don't have to keep living like this. You're not how your mother sees you or how anyone else sees you. You're a smart, compassionate, beautiful woman. That's what I see," he said as he kissed her forehead again and then held her a little tighter._

_But she didn't respond, Lauren just nodded as she nuzzled her head deeper into his bare chest. _

Danny was shaken from his thoughts as the plane touched down. He should have told her more about himself. He hadn't wanted to get into telling her about his past, but maybe if he had, then she would have believed what he had been trying to tell her that morning.

He could hardly contain himself as he waited for the plane to come to stop. Now more than ever, he wanted to confront Karen Palmer. And even though Jack would be disappointed in him, he knew he had to find a way to question her on his own.


	9. Chapter 9

Notes: Just a short chapter this time. The next one will be longer. Thanks for the reviews.

* * *

**85 Hours Missing**

As Danny walked quickly out of the gate after getting off the plane, he suddenly heard his name called.

"Agent Taylor? Agent Taylor?"

Looking up, he saw a young woman walk towards him holding up an FBI badge. Immediately, his heart sank. Interrogating Karen Palmer on his own wasn't going to be as easy as he thought.

"I'm Danny Taylor," he finally answered.

"Great. I'm Special Agent Christina Matthews. You can call me Chris," she said extending her hand.

Shaking her hand, Danny responded, "How'd you know what flight I'd be on?"

"Agent Malone called my SAC to let him know you were on your way."

Danny resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Of course he did," he replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"If it's okay, I'd like to take a few minutes to get your statement. We understand you are personally involved with Lauren Palmer. You may be able to help—"

"I gave my statement to NYPD," he cut her off quickly. "Look, I know I can help. And I know exactly how I can help. But getting my statement now will only waste time. The best thing you can do to find Lauren Palmer is to take me to her mother."

"SAC Meadows instructed me to bring you back to our office, so we can get your statement and then you can debrief us. Agent Malone told us you had information—"

"There's no time for that. Do you want to find Lauren Palmer or not?"

"Of course I do," the young agent answered.

"Then take me to her mother right now. I'll give you my statement and tell you what I know while we drive there," he demanded. Not waiting for answer, he started to walk through the terminal.

A half an hour later, they were almost to Karen Palmer's home. Danny wasn't sure how, but somehow he'd convinced Agent Matthews that going there was the right thing. Now he only hoped that her boss wouldn't call her and convince her otherwise.

After the young agent pulled the car into the driveway, they both got out and proceeded to the door.

As soon as the door opened, Danny knew this was Lauren's mother. She was tall like Lauren with the same blonde hair, blue eyes and well-defined, model-like features. She even had a small tumbler of vodka in her hand. The only difference was that this woman had aged features that she tried to cover up with a lot of make-up.

"Mrs. Palmer—" Chris started, but was quickly cut off.

"Did you find her?" Karen Palmer asked.

"No ma'am. We are still looking for her, but this is Agent Taylor from New York. He's been investigating Lauren's disappearance on that end."

When Danny's eyes met Karen's, he tried to see if there was a flicker of recognition, but if Lauren had to her mother about him, Mrs. Palmer wasn't revealing it in her reaction to him.

"I've answered all your questions. I don't see how I can help anymore," Mrs. Palmer responded.

Danny stepped forwarded. "This won't take long, ma'am. I just have a few questions and then I'll be out of your way. Do you mind if we come in?" he asked politely.

Karen opened the door wider to let them enter. "Can I get you a coffee or an ice tea?" she offered as they walked into the living room.

"No, thank you," they replied.

Danny took a seat on the sofa, across from Mrs. Palmer. "I've been doing some background work on Lauren's life in New York. It's very likely that the reason she is missing is because of something that happened there."

"Well, I know she was having a rough time of it. She wasn't getting any steady acting work, and that made her depressed. That's why, I assumed, she returned home…because she was finally giving up that crazy notion of being an actress."

Danny couldn't help but frown. From his conversations with Lauren, she'd given up on her acting over a year ago when she'd gotten mixed up with the mystery man.

"How could she afford to live in Manhattan if she wasn't working, Mrs. Palmer?" Danny asked just to see what her response would be.

"Well, I was supporting her, of course. She certainly wasn't paying the bills."

"Awfully generous of you, considering that Lauren was living in a huge loft and frequently using a limousine to go out in the evening. That's pretty steep for someone who works in an art gallery," Danny responded.

"My husband left us some money. I've indulged Lauren…letting her live in Manhattan and have that lifestyle. But I was going to cut her off eventually."

"You indulged her?" Danny asked, trying to keep the sarcasm out of voice.

Mrs. Palmer shrugged. "Yes."

"What about Dr. Cameron?"

"Melinda Cameron? She and I went to Wellesley together. She's one of my oldest friends."

"She's also Lauren's doctor, and you pay for that as well?"

"That's correct. Lauren has no job, so she has no insurance," she replied as in an annoyed tone.

"Do you find it odd that Lauren has had to go to Dr. Cameron at least six times in the last year?"

Mrs. Palmer shook her head. "I haven't given it a second thought. Young women have various health issues—"

"She was being abused, Mrs. Palmer," Danny said, finally cutting to the chase.

Danny could almost feel the surprised stare of Agent Matthews next to him.

"Abused?" Mrs. Palmer responded in an amused tone. "You must be mistaken. I-"

"It's no mistake," Danny interrupted, and he knew he was glaring at her now.

Mrs. Palmer smiled. "You don't know my daughter. She's overly dramatic about everything. She probably just—"

"No…ma'am…_you_ don't know your daughter."

Mrs. Palmer sat back and stared at Danny intently as if trying to put pieces to puzzle together. "I think we are done here. You are barking up the wrong tree, Agent," she said as she stood.

Danny stood up as well. "Am I? What about the fifty grand you dropped at Perfect Connections? Do you know what that place is or did you just follow orders when you sent them the money?"

"I don't know what you are—"

"Who is he, Mrs. Palmer? Who are you protecting? Chances are, you're covering for whoever made your daughter almost kill herself or who probably has your daughter right now. Who is he? Huh?" he asked, and now he wasn't even trying to hide his anger and frustration.

"I'm not saying another word to you. Please leave."

"Come on, Agent Taylor. I'm sorry, Mrs. Palmer. We'll call you when we have news of your daughter," Agent Matthews said as she followed Danny out of the house. When they got outside, Matthews was going to ask him what the hell that was about, but he didn't give her a chance.

"I need every phone record on that woman. And I need a list of known associates of hers and Lauren's father. We need to cross-reference those lists with the list of attendees at the FBI awards dinner that NYPD sent you. There has to be a common thread," he said as he opened the car door.

"What common thread?"

"She knows more than she's saying. I know she does," he replied and then paused for a moment before asking, "Where was Lauren living when she got back to D.C.?"

"At first, her mother told us she was living with her, but then she said she had recently leased an apartment for Lauren, but I don't think Lauren had moved into it yet."

"Let's go to that apartment," Danny said as he closed his car door.

XXXXXXXXX

"This doesn't seem strange to you?" Danny asked as he and Agent Matthews rode up in the elevator of a posh Georgetown apartment building.

"Strange how?"

"Lauren's an out-of-work actress with no job at all, and yet, her mother rents her this new place once she comes down here? Why would she do it?"

"Maybe she doesn't want her daughter living with her."

"But why a $2000 a month apartment? It's a bit much for woman who doesn't seem to have much use for her daughter," he said as he followed the doorman off the elevator.

The doorman walked down the hall and put the key in the door. "Ms. Palmer never moved all of her stuff in. She just brought a couple of bags over, but that was it," he said as he opened the door and let the agents in.

Danny felt a since of deja'vu as soon as he walked in the door: the same cold, leather furniture was in the living room. And then he walked back to the bedroom. First, he saw the two suitcases at the foot of the bed. And then his eyes drifted across the room and rested on the all-to-familiar mirror on the far wall, directly across from the bed.

"Son of a bitch," Danny muttered.

"What?" Matthews asked.

Danny shook his head as his eyes drifted back to the foot of the bed. For a moment, he saw Lauren sitting there, crying helplessly, and then she faded away. Slowly, he walked over to the mirror and grabbed one side of it, pulling the false door open to reveal the same chair, the same wet bar and closet that were in Lauren's Manhattan apartment.

"What is that?" Matthews asked as she came up behind him.

"It's Lauren's worst nightmare coming back to haunt her," Danny replied quietly.


	10. Chapter 10

Notes - A little longer this time and a big reveal! I bet you guys guessed already. Thanks for reading.

* * *

Turning quickly, Danny walked back into the living room where the doorman waited for them. "Was there anyone with Ms. Palmer when she first brought her things here?"

"Yes, sir. Her brother was with her," the doorman answered.

"Her brother?" Danny responded, his frown deepening even more.

"Yes, sir. He brought her suitcases in. He stayed up here for about a half hour and then he left. Ms. Palmer was still here at that time. But at some point, she left in the middle of the night. When her brother came looking for her the next day, she was gone."

Looking at the cold, austere living room again, Danny asked, "Who furnished this place?"

"I assume Ms. Palmer did. A truck filled with furniture came shortly after the apartment was leased. And then later, several packages from Nordstrom's came and one of our attendants unpacked them and put them away for Ms. Palmer," he said as he motioned toward the bedroom.

Danny walked back into the bedroom and looked in the closet. There were several slinky dresses and high heels in the closet, as well as drawers full of lingerie. Danny knew these weren't Lauren's things. In the times he'd been with her, she usually wore jeans and she wasn't the type to wear sexy lingerie.

"Are you going to fill me in on what is going on?" Matthews asked as she stood next to him.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, but first, we need to go back to your office. I'd like to take a look at all those records that are being cross-referenced. And would you please call Lauren's brother? I'd like to review any background you have on him and then I'd like to speak to him at FBI headquarters as soon as possible."

* * *

**88 Hours Missing**

As Danny sat in the conference room at the D.C. FBI headquarters, he quickly read through stacks of records. Occasionally, he'd make a note in his notebook, but then his eyes would go back to the documents. The list of names from the FBI awards dinner was getting smaller and smaller. And his heart started to beat faster because he knew he was getting close. As he his eyes moved down the small list of names, a feeling of dread came over him as his eyes stopped on one of the names.

"Agent Taylor?" Matthews said as she walked into the conference room.

Danny looked up, thankful for the momentary distraction. "It's Danny. I think you've helped me enough today to be on first name basis. In fact, I probably owe you a lot more than that."

"You have no idea. I just caught hell from SAC Meadows."

"Oh God, I'm sorry—"

"It's okay. We're a lot farther on this case now that you're here. I can take the heat," she said with a small smile. "Hopefully, you can as well. He wants me to bring you to his office."

Danny nodded as he looked down. "It was just a matter of time. Did you, um, did you get a hold of Jason Palmer?"

Matthews nodded. "He's was on his way into a class, but he'll be here within the hour. And I have this for you," she said as she handed him a file folder. "A complete background check on Jason Palmer."

Smiling gratefully, Danny took the file. "I definitely owe you big time. Can I take a minute to look at this? Or do we have to go now?"

Matthews shrugged. "I, for one, can't go for another minute without getting some coffee. I'm going down to the coffee cart. I'll be back in fifteen minutes. Can I bring you anything?"

Still smiling, Danny shook his head. "No. I'm good."

While Matthews stalled by going on the coffee run, Danny went back to the conference table to see if he could make any more connections between the Palmer family and the mystery man.

* * *

"I have half a mind to send you back to New York right now with an FBI escort, someone who can't be talked out of a direct order!" Meadows yelled as he threw a glare at Agent Matthews.

"It wasn't her fault, sir. I didn't give her a choice. But you have to understand—"

"No, son, you have to understand. There's a chain of command to be followed. Agent Malone assured me that you would follow it before you came down here. Not to mention that you are still a suspect or have you forgotten that you're all over that video that was found in Lauren Palmer's apartment? You were screwing her, and you were there when she attempted suicide. How can I not see you as a suspect?"

"Because all I've been trying to do since I found out she was missing is find her. And I'm really close. I know I am. I have a list of names—"

"Chris told me about the list. She also told me about Ms. Palmer's apartment and the fact that it is identical to the set-up of her Manhattan apartment. I grant you that is too much of a coincidence, but I can't have you harassing the Palmer family. Both Mrs. Palmer and the son have alibis."

"That doesn't mean they don't know who is behind this. That's why I need to talk to Jason Palmer."

Meadows shook his head. "You can cross-reference those files until your hearts content, but you're not talking to Lauren's brother. If you have information, then you can give it to me and I'll interrogate him."

Sighing heavily, Danny shook his head. "I have to be there. Just let me be in the room. I won't get in your way."

"Why the hell would I let you do that?"

"Because…before I got here, you had nothing. And now you have a list of suspects. I guarantee you after we talk to her brother, we'll know who has her," Danny replied, his voice full of certainty.

* * *

**95 Hours Missing**

It was 4 a.m. Danny hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours. He couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten. But as soon as he got off the airplane, he knew he couldn't go home yet. He needed help and there was only one person he could think of to turn to.

He had to hit the buzzer three times before a groggy voice answered through the intercom.

"It's Danny. I have to see you right now."

The door buzzed and Danny walked through it. As he walked up to the fourth floor, he couldn't help but feel sick to his stomach. Hesitantly, he knocked on the door.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me, Danny, it's four in the morning," Jack said, rubbing his eyes after opening the door.

Danny sighed heavily as he looked at Jack's barely awake appearance. "I'm sorry, Jack. But I…I need your help."

"It couldn't wait a few hours?" he replied as he opened the door wider to let Danny in.

Shaking his head, Danny rubbed his chin warily as he entered the apartment. "I, um, Jack…this is big, and I don't know what to do now. I…I think Meadows will try to cover it up, and I didn't know who else to go to…," Danny responded desperately.

Jack had seen Danny angry and frustrated before, like when he was looking for his brother. He'd also seen Danny fight emotion when faced with finding a body, especially the body of child. But he'd never seen Danny like this before and it almost scared him.

**

* * *

****99 Hours Missing**

Somehow Jack had convinced Danny to sleep for a couple of hours on his couch. He had truly looked awful when he had shown up at Jack's apartment. So after Danny had told him who he thought their prime suspect was and all the details that supported his theory, Jack had insisted that he sleep before going into the office.

When Danny had woken up, three hours later, Jack had told him to go to his apartment, get cleaned up, and then meet him back at the office at 8 a.m.

And this is where they were, sitting in Jack's office, waiting. Danny's knee was nervously bouncing involuntarily. He'd tried to drink a cup of coffee, but his shaky hands wouldn't allow him. As Jack watched him, he wondered how badly Danny wanted a drink right now. Jack knew that he himself could've used a drink as well, and he wasn't an alcoholic.

At five minutes past eight, Jack caught sight of Martin getting off the elevator and walking down the hall. Slowly rising from his chair, he went to his door.

"Morning, Jack," Martin greeted as he met him at the office door.

"Morning. I, um, I need to talk to you, Martin," he said as he tried not to sound too somber, but was failing miserably.

"Sure," Martin replied as he entered the office. Upon seeing Danny sitting in one of the chairs, Martin smiled. "Hey."

"Hey," Danny replied quietly.

Hearing the shortness in Danny's tone, Martin's smile faded. "Did…did you find her?" he asked, expecting to hear the worst.

Swallowing hard, Danny shook his head, but couldn't say any more.

"Have a seat, Martin," Jack said as he sat down in his office chair.

"What's going on?" Martin asked as he gave Danny a concerned glance.

"Danny has spent the last twenty-four hours investigating Lauren Palmer's disappearance," Jack started.

"I know," Martin replied as he watched Jack open a thick file folder.

As Jack started to spread out the paper from the folder, he continued, "Danny cross-referenced every person that attended the party where he met Lauren with everyone that her parents knew or knows. He knew that Lauren had been ordered to attend the party by someone who has a very strong hold on her and her family."

"Ordered?" Martin asked, voice full of surprise.

Jack glanced at Danny to see if he wanted to explain, but Danny just looked down. So Jack proceeded to tell Martin what Lauren had been dealing with for the last year: the mystery man who had this power over her, the escort service, the voyeurism, the torture room, and finally Lauren going home and finding out that she still couldn't escape.

_10 Hours Earlier_

_Danny stood with his arms folded and his back against the wall as he watched SAC Ryan Meadows interrogate Jason Palmer. In Jason's background check, Danny had found out that he'd been charged with possession as a minor. Then, the summer before he was supposed to go to Georgetown, he'd been arrested for possession of heroine with intent to sell. _

"_The drugs weren't mine," Jason said in a pleading tone after Meadows asked him about the drug charge._

"_Well your prints all over the heroine says your lying," Meadows responded as he glanced at the file in front of him. "You got real lucky when those drugs disappeared from the evidence room. That was a big break. Since you were caught with the drugs within a mile of a school, you would have gone away for at least ten years. Georgetown probably wouldn't have wanted you back after that, huh?"_

"_I was set up, but what the hell does that have to do with my sister?"_

"_Who helped you get that fancy lawyer, Jason? Who made the drugs disappear?" Meadows asked._

_Meadow was asking all the right questions, just as Danny had told him to do. But what Danny hadn't told Meadows was that he already knew who had gotten Jason out of trouble._

"_My mom got the lawyer for me. And I have no idea where those drugs are, but I'm damn glad they were lost because I was set up. I still don't understand how this will help you find my sister."_

_Suddenly, Danny couldn't stay silent any longer. He'd promised Meadows that he'd just observe in the room, but it was taking too long. "Because your sister is the reason those drugs disappeared and your sister is the reason why you're going to Georgetown instead of watching your ass in a federal prison!"_

"_Agent Taylor—" Meadows started._

"_She sold herself to the devil to get you out of trouble, didn't she?" Danny asked as he pushed off the wall and walked towards the table. "How could you let her do that?"_

"_You're crazy…" Jason started, but then choked back a sob before he could finish._

"_Am I?"_

"_Agent Taylor—"_

"_Where did Lauren think you were taking her that day? She wanted to stop covering for you, but you wouldn't let her, would you?" Danny asked as he laid his palms on the table and leaned in to Jason's face._

"_Shut up! Shut up! You don't know what—"_

"_She's your sister! Your sister!" Danny yelled, and now Meadows had backed off. "Do you know what he was making her do? Do you know what bringing her back to that apartment meant? Do you?" he yelled as he pounded his fist on the table in effort to make Jason understand._

_Jason broke down in a sob. "I didn't know. I didn't know at first. I swear. I just thought…I just thought she was sleeping with him. She told me that she'd taken care of everything. When she came back to D.C. and said she couldn't do it anymore, I panicked!"_

_88 Hours Earlier (Flashback to Day of Disappearance)_

"_Is this where your friend lives?" Lauren asked as Jason pulled into a parking space in front of the elegant Georgetown apartment building._

"_Yeah," Jason replied quietly._

"_One of your college friends lives here?" Lauren asked in a disbelieving tone. "Well, geeze, then I guess I'm glad that mother doesn't want me at home anymore and that your friend needs a roommate."_

_Jason didn't say anything as he held the door open for her and ushered her into the lobby. She smiled as they rode up in the elevator, and Jason honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her smile. _

_When they got off on her floor, Jason walked down the hall and put a key in one of the doors. Then he took a deep breath as they walked into the apartment. Right after walking in, Lauren stopped in her tracks as she took in the living room area. Ryan just proceeded back to the bedroom to put her bags down._

_Moments later, he heard her breath catch as she walked into the bedroom. _

"_No. No, Jason. I can't," Lauren said, voice full of emotion and eyes full of tears, as the full picture came together for her. The man wanted her back._

"_Laur, I'll lose everything. He'll take everything away from me…from mom. I'll go to prison, Lauren."_

"_I told you, Jason. I'll find you a good lawyer. Or I'll figure out some way to blackmail him. I'll figure out something, but I can't do this again. I can't."_

"_That won't work. He's too powerful. He told me it wouldn't last much longer. He'll let you go eventually. He'll lose interest. He'll find another mistress--"_

_Turning toward him quickly, she slapped him as hard as she could. "I'm not his mistress! You…and mother…you don't want to know what he does to me. You've never wanted to know. I can't do it. I can't do it again."_

"_You'd rather see me in prison for ten years for something I didn't do?" he yelled in a panicked tone._

"_I know someone. I know someone in New York who'll help you…an FBI agent. I trust him. We could talk to him. We'll find a way!" Lauren pleaded._

"_An agent? Do you have any idea who we are dealing with? If he wants me in prison, I'm going to prison! Don't you get it? This is the only way, Lauren! The only way! Please…please…I can't go to prison." _

_end flashback of Day of Disappearance_

"_You're him, aren't you?" Jason asked as he looked at Danny. "You're the FBI agent she was talking about and you're the man she started seeing. You're the reason she tried to leave him."_

"_But you wouldn't let her leave, would you?" Danny responded without answering Jason's question._

"_She finally gave in or so I thought…" Jason finished in a quiet tone._

_End flashback._

"Christ!" Martin exclaimed upon hearing the details. "That's unbelievable! Her own brother? So who is it? Who's behind all this?"

Jack glanced at Danny again, and his head was still down. Taking a stack of paper from the file folder, he handed it to Martin. "Danny spent a lot of time cross-referencing connections between the Palmers and everyone who attended that party. He narrowed it down to one name and then finally got Jason Palmer to confirm it."

Martin looked at the papers that contained arrows and comments in Danny's handwriting. Finally, his eyes settled on a name that Danny had circled at the bottom of the page.

Looking back up, Martin's eyes shifted from Jack and then to Danny. Finally, he stammered, "My…my…father?"


	11. Chapter 11

Notes: Sorry for the super-short chapter this time. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

* * *

Danny couldn't look at Martin. He could feel Martin glaring at him, but didn't want to see it.

"Martin—" Jack started.

"It's a mistake!" Martin cut him off. "Look at me, Danny. Look at me!"

Finally, Danny looked up to face Martin, whose eyes showed betrayal and hurt.

"It's not true. It's a mistake," Martin said as he continued to glare at Danny.

Shaking his head, Danny tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come.

"Martin, your father knew Lauren's father, Eric Palmer, for many years. They worked on some Senator's campaign in the 80's," Jack tried to explain.

"I've never met the Palmers…Lauren, her father—"

Finally finding the strength to speak, Danny interrupted, "The day I introduced you to her in the coffee shop, you said she looked familiar."

"It was from the awards dinner, like you said—"

"He made her go to other things, too. Other events you probably would have attended with your parents. And you're father was definitely at that awards dinner. He was the only person there who had such close ties to the Palmers. There was no other reason for Lauren to be there, Martin. I'm sorry, but it…it's true," Danny stammered.

"I cant…. So now you think that he's kidnapped her? Or killed her?" Martin asked as he looked from Danny to Jack.

"Yes," Danny replied in a weak tone.

"Impossible, Danny. It's impossible. He's been in Los Angeles all week on business. He calls my mother every night while she's been vacationing on Martha's Vineyard."

Jack and Danny exchanged glances after Martin made the statement.

"What? What?" Martin asked.

Jack sighed heavily. "After SAC Meadows and Danny interviewed Jason Palmer and he confirmed the information about Victor, Meadows called Victor's office. Victor's secretary told Meadows that he was vacationing with your mother this week and was not to be disturbed."

Martin didn't say anything in response at first. Suddenly, he rose from his chair and headed for the door. Before he opened it, he said, "This is a mistake. I'll prove it's a mistake."

* * *

As Martin hurried into the bullpen, Samantha looked up from the center table and smiled. "What's with the covert meeting with Jack and Danny? Should Viv and I feel left out?" 

"It was nothing," Martin responded in a harsh tone as he scrolled through his contact list in his telephone.

"Didn't look like nothing—"

"Drop it, Sam. I'm in the middle something," Martin said as he dialed his father's cell phone number.

Slightly stunned, Samantha took a moment to take in Martin's frantic appearance. "Martin, are you okay?" Sam asked, voice full of concern as she stood up.

Martin closed his eyes for a moment as he heard his father's cell phone go to voicemail. Quickly, he left a message. "It's Martin. Um, I need to speak to you as soon as possible. It's urgent."

"Martin—" Sam said again.

"Sam, please! I just need a minute," he said as he dialed his mother's cell phone. When he got her voicemail, he ended the call without leaving a message.

His desk phone started to ring and Martin rolled his eyes. He didn't want to deal with a business call right now.

"You might want to answer that," Sam said in a short tone as she started to walk out of the bullpen. "It's been ringing off the hook this morning. When I tried to answer it earlier, whoever it was just hung up."

Turning quickly, Martin looked at his desk phone still ringing. Feeling nervousness in his stomach, he slowly picked it up.

"Fitzgerald."

At first, he didn't here a response, so he repeated, "Fitzgerald."

"Martin Fitzgerald?" a small, female voice asked.

"Yes, can I help you?"

"I think you can," she answered in almost child-like tone.

"Who is this?"

"Lauren Palmer."

Martin took a deep breath as he looked up, his first instinct to find Danny, but Danny still hadn't come out of Jack's office.

Before Martin could think of anything else, Lauren continued. "Don't tell anyone I'm on the phone. If you do, you'll regret it."

"Where are you? Are you safe?" he whispered.

"I'm safe."

"Are you being held against your will? We'll come get you—"

"You need to come alone, Martin. There's something you need to see, and we need to talk."

Frowning, Martin asked, "What? Why me? Don't you want to talk to Danny?"

"No!" she responded vehemently. "He can't know about this. No one can know about this."

"I need more information. I need to know if you are in danger," he asked, voice full of concern and worry.

"I'm not in danger, but your father is. If you don't come here alone in the next thirty minutes, I'm going to put a bullet in his head," she replied, her voice suddenly going from child-like to cold and calculated.


	12. Chapter 12

Notes: Another short one. But at least they are frequent!

* * *

After splashing cold water on his face, Danny looked in the mirror. Not liking his reflection, he looked away quickly as he dried his face and hands with a paper towel. Walking out of the men's room, the first thing he saw was Martin getting on the elevator. Then he caught sight of Sam, who looked like she was trying to catch up to Martin, but didn't catch him in time.

Quickly walking towards Sam, Danny called out, "Where's he going?"

Samantha shrugged. "Danny, what the hell is going on? Why is he so angry? What happened in Jack's office this morning."

"I can't…I'm sorry, Sam. Jack can explain it to you. Right now, I need to know where Martin is going," Danny said as he punched the down arrow for the elevator.

"All I know is that his desk phone was ringing off the hook this morning. When I tried to answer it, it was a hang up. When he finally answered it, he took off like a bat out of hell."

Processing the information, he stepped on the elevator, but held the door open. "Talk to Jack. He'll explain everything. And do me a favor?"

"Sure," Samantha responded with a nod of her head.

"Find out where that call came in from on Martin's phone and then call me."

Samantha just nodded as the elevator doors closed.

* * *

Danny felt like the elevator was taking forever. He had to catch up with Martin. Finally landing on the parking level, he scanned the rows hoping to find Martin's car. Jogging down one of the rows, Danny heard a car start, two aisles over. Making a beeline toward the sound, he caught sight of Martin's car as it started to move forward. Taking off in a full sprint, Danny didn't stop until got in front of Martin's path.

Suddenly, Martin slammed on his breaks to avoid hitting Danny head on.

"What the hell are you doing? Get out of the way!" Martin called out.

Shaking his head, Danny put his hands on his hips as he tried to catch his breath.

Martin's first instinct was to back up and find another way out, but his stubbornness made him get out of the car to confront Danny.

"I don't have time for this. Get the fuck out of my way!" he yelled as he approached him.

"No! Who was on the phone? Where are you going?" Danny asked, still catching his breath.

"I'm not telling you a goddamn thing! How could you, Danny? How could you go to Jack like that?" Martin demanded to know as he shoved Danny towards the car. "I trusted you!"

"What choice did I have? I didn't want tell you unless I knew it was true, Martin! I had to tell Jack first."

"It's not true!" Martin yelled as he shoved Danny again.

Danny took the shoves without retaliating, but it didn't stop him from telling Martin what he really thought about Victor. "You're father is sick, man. Someone needs to stop him! He's a sick fuck who—" before Danny could finish he felt a hard, stinging blow to his jaw. Staggering back against the car, he had to take a deep breath in order to stop himself from hitting back just on reflex.

"My father is not the sick one! You delusional girlfriend is sick! She's ruining his reputation and his life, and if I don't get there in time, she's going to kill him!"

Steadying himself against the car, Danny responded, "She called you? Didn't she?"

"If I don't get there in twenty minutes, she's going to kill him, Danny. She's crazy! Now get the fuck out of my way."

"No, no way. I'm going with you," Danny said as he opened the passenger door.

"The hell you are!"

"Martin, I'm going with you. She won't hurt anyone if I'm there. I need to be there to back you up. We have to try to end this thing without anyone getting hurt," Danny pleaded.

Walking back to the driver's side, Martin responded, "I'm still going in alone. And we don't involve anyone else."

Danny nodded as he got into the passenger side of the car. Seconds later, they exited the parking garage.

* * *

The first few minutes of their drive were completely silent. Danny hadn't even asked where they were going. He just looked out the window as he tried to massage the ache out of his jaw. Once or twice, he glanced over at Martin whose face, which had shown betrayal before, now just showed a steely determination.

"I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want it to be true," Danny finally said. "After everything you've been through this past year, I…I…didn't want to tell you this. Maybe that makes me a coward, but Martin, you have to believe me when I say that I didn't want this to be true. The closer I got to your father's name, the more I wanted to just find a way to bury it. But I couldn't do that. And you wouldn't have been able to either, if you'd seen and heard the things that he put her through, man."

Martin shook his head. "You want me to believe that my dad is some kind of monster? I know he's cold and he's rigid and there are times when I thought I hated him, but I can't believe that he's capable of…," Martin voice choked with emotion for a moment. "I have a sister, Danny. He couldn't do something like that to someone else's daughter. I can't…"

Danny started to respond. He thought about telling Martin that he hadn't wanted to believe that his own father was a monster either. But he didn't say anything. He had quickly realized that there was nothing he could say to make Martin believe. Martin would have to make that realization his own.

"Let's just get there. We just have to get them both out of there alive," Danny stated quietly as Martin continued to drive.

* * *

Gun drawn, Martin walked into the small house in Queens. When he turned the corner, he entered the living room and was met with the sight of his father handcuffed to a chair with his mouth gagged and his feet bound to the legs of the chair. Lauren Palmer was standing behind him with a gun to his head. As soon as his father saw him, he struggled to get out of the chair as though he couldn't believe that Martin was there.

"Remove the clip from your gun and then toss them over there," Lauren said as she motioned to the other side of the room.

"Lauren, you don't want to do this. Listen—"

"Shut up and do as I say or I will kill him. I have nothing to lose. Don't test me," she cut him off in a commanding tone.

Taking a deep breath, Martin did as she instructed. He removed the clip from his gun and tossed them both to the other side of the room.

"Good," Lauren said. "Now sit in that chair," she ordered, pointing to a chair right in front of him.

Martin took a seat in the chair and then looked up at her with a furrowed brow. "What are you going to do?"

Lauren smiled slightly. "Do you have your handcuffs with you?" she asked, now pointing the gun at him.

Martin nodded.

"Take them out slowly, please," she said as she took a step back and pointed the gun at his father's temple again.

Taking a moment, Martin looked at his father's face. He looked weak and exhausted. He had a deep welt under his eye. Lauren didn't look much better. She had a red marks around her neck, like someone had tried to strangle her and it looked like she hadn't slept in days. Slowly, Martin reached behind and pulled out his cuffs.

"Take out your keys and toss them over there."

Martin did this as well.

"Okay now, put one cuff on your wrist," she instructed.

Martin did as she as she told him. Then she walked over cautiously and stood behind him. For a moment, he thought about trying to overtake her, but then he remembered Danny's words: "We just have to get them both out of there alive." If he tried to struggle with Lauren, it was very possible he could shoot her, and Martin didn't want to take that risk.

After Lauren put the gun to his head, she grabbed his cuffed wrist behind the chair. "Give me your other hand," she commanded. When she had his other wrist, she cuffed it behind him as well. "There we go," she said in a satisfied tone and then she leaned down to speak into Martin's ear, "Did you know that your dad is a big fan of handcuffs?"

Martin looked down at the floor and didn't respond.

But Lauren continued, "One of his favorite things was watching someone handcuff me to the bed and then take me from behind."

Lauren moved so she was facing Martin. "You don't believe me, do you?"

He looked up at her with a desperate look in his eyes. "I don't know what to believe," Martin replied quietly. "But I do know that you have been hurt, and you need help."

Lauren laughed. "I need help? You have no fucking idea. It's him who needs help, Martin," she said as she motioned to Victor. She walked toward Victor and roughly pulled the tape off his mouth. "I want you to tell him. I want you to tell him what you did to me."

Victor shook his head as he looked down. "You'll pay for this. You should never have brought him here," he said as he finally looked up at her with a glare.

Slapping him as hard he she could, she then yelled, "Tell him!"

"You're crazy," he said, looking up at her. "I helped you and your family after your father died. I gave you a place to live. You're the one who invited danger into your life, not me!"

Lauren slapped him again. "You're a liar!" she said as she convulsed into tears and turned to Martin. "He made me…he made me do all those things. And he…he taped me with them. Didn't you, you prick?" she said turning back to Victor.

But this time, Victor didn't respond, so Lauren continued as she turned back to Martin. "You've seen me before, haven't you? You saw me at the awards dinner, and then you saw me again at the fundraiser at that big house in the Hamptons. You remember, don't you?" she said as she talked through her tears.

As soon as she said it, Martin remembered. She had come running down the stairs as he entered the party. He remembered because she was wearing a short black dress. She'd caught everyone's attention that night.

"I remember you," he said as he quickly glanced at his father.

"He made me come there that night. He made me wear that dress, and he paid one of the waiters to meet me in one of the upstairs rooms. He watched us that night…he watched me give the waiter head and then the waiter pushed me against a table and fucked me from behind. And then after he finished watching, he left the room, went downstairs and greeted you at the door."

"Don't listen to her, Martin. She's crazy! She was invited to that party because the Sloan's' knew her father. They were just being gracious towards her. But she caused a scene by coming in that dress."

"Stop lying!" Lauren cried as she swung around and pointed the gun at Victor again. "I'll kill you. I'll kill you if you don't start telling the truth."

"Lauren, Lauren…I believe you," Martin said in a calming tone.

"Martin…don't—" his father started.

"Shut up, Dad!" Martin commanded. "Lauren, I understand. You've been terribly hurt and I want to help you. Just let us go and I'll make sure nothing like that ever happens again."

Lauren took a few deep breaths as she turned back to Martin. Slowly, she calmed herself enough to stop crying.

Martin continued. "We can all walk out of here right now. Everyone thinks you've been kidnapped. I'll just say I found you here. No one has to know. And then this will all be over."

Sniffing, Lauren ran a hand through her hair. "I can't…I can't do that. I'm sorry."

"Yes, you can. Just uncuff me," Martin pleaded.

"No, you don't understand," she responded as she stood directly in front of Martin and then dropped to her knees. "I don't care if I get into trouble. I honestly don't care if I leave here alive. I just want him to suffer," Lauren said as she glanced back at Victor. "I want him to feel helpless and vulnerable and completely out of control because that's how I've felt this whole past year."

"How…how are you going to do that?" Martin asked, voice full of hesitation.

Lauren shrugged as she looked up at him with the widest, bluest eyes he'd ever seen. "That's why you're here, Martin."


	13. Chapter 13

Notes: Sorry this is taking so long to write. I really am posting it as soon as I get chapters written, which is why sometimes there a couple of chapters a day and sometimes there are none. This would be much easier if I didn't have a job! Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Believe it or not, there are only a couple of chapters left.

* * *

After hearing Lauren's dire statement to Martin, Danny knew he had to act. He'd been listening to the whole exchange over the two-way radio on his cell phone. Martin had promised to leave the cell phone connected so Danny could hear everything, if Danny agreed to give him a chance to diffuse the situation without sending Lauren into a panic that might cause her to kill his father.

But the situation had changed when Danny had realized that Lauren wanted Martin there to hurt his father. And the best way to hurt his father would be to hurt or kill Martin. As soon as Danny realized this, he started to move toward the small house. He knew that if he could get to Lauren that he could convince her to let Martin and his father go.

Just as he approached the lawn, he heard a car screech to a halt behind him. Turning quickly, he saw Sam and Jack exiting the car.

"What are you doing? What are you doing?" Danny asked in a panicked tone as he jogged towards them.

"No, Danny! The question is what hell are you guys doing?" Jack responded as he slammed his car door closed.

* * *

"What…what do you mean?" Martin asked as he watched Lauren's wounded eyes turn cold.

Lauren stood as she wiped the tears out of her eyes. "I tried to think of what would humiliate him most. My first thought was to bring your mother here, but see, I don't think he really would care what she thinks or what any woman thinks. But you? He cares what you think."

Martin shook his head as he glanced at Victor. "I doubt that."

"Let's just see about that," Lauren said as she turned back to Victor. "Tell him what you have me do. Tell him how this all started."

"Go to hell! You're deranged!" Victor spatted.

Keeping her gun trained on him, she screamed, "Tell him!"

"You'll have to shoot me—"

"Dad!" Martin called out.

"She's delusional, Martin. She's sick," Victor continued.

"Dad! Dad! Stop!" Martin yelled as he watched Lauren's hands shake as she kept the gun pointed at his father.

"I won't. I won't let her do this to me," Victor responded in a surprisingly calm, cool tone.

"You won't?" Lauren asked as tears again started to stream down on face. "You won't? You're not in control here! I am!" she exclaimed as she swung the gun around to point it at Martin. "This will hurt you more, won't it? Tell him the truth, or I will kill your son right now!"

"No! You bitch! No!" Victor called out.

"Lauren, don't…don't do this," Martin pleaded in gentle, but shaky tone. "This isn't going to help you."

"Maybe not, but killing you will kill him. And that's all I care about anymore. I want him to suffer. Don't you understand?" she asked and then she glanced back at Victor. "Tell him! Tell your son what you did to me or I will kill him."

"You won't do it," Victor said. "You won't kill an innocent man."

"Watch me!" Lauren responded, trying to sound confident, but the emotion was still evident in her tone.

Martin noticed that her hands were shaking badly now. It was very possible she could shoot him without even consciously pulling the trigger. He had to do something since his father seemed intent on not giving in.

"Why don't you tell me?" Martin said as he tried to look into her eyes. "I want to hear it from you, Lauren."

Upon hearing the gentleness in his tone, Lauren took a deep breath to compose herself. "It won't be the same," she responded in a small, weak tone.

"Yes, it will. I want to hear it from you," he repeated. "Tell me how it started."

Martin felt a wave of relief wash over him when she finally lowered the gun.

"My father died," she said in an emotional tone. "That's how it started."

Martin nodded as he tried to keep eye contact with her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about your father."

"At the funeral, your father said that he would help us. He told my mother that he would be there for whatever she needed. Turns out, my father wasn't that great with his money. So my mom had to pay off a lot of debt. I had to drop out of school and come back to D.C. We had to sell our house. I got a job to help her with the bills, but it wasn't enough. So she went to him," Lauren said as she glanced in Victor's direction. "And he did just as he said he would, he got us in touch with this trust attorney that helped us get access to my father's pension money. And that helped."

"But then my mom kept going back to him for advice…for help. I don't know. I think she was so lost without my father, that she just needed someone to lean on. So he came over more and more. One night he showed up before my mom got home. So I tried to be friendly because he'd been so good to us. He told me I was beautiful and that I should go back to New York to follow my dream. Then he said he'd help me any way he could. It felt strange…very strange, but I was so desparate to get out of there and back to New York that I said yes."

When she finished this statement, Martin heard her voice crack with emotion and regret.

"He set me up in that loft and he said that he would help me get a student loan so I could go back to school in the fall. At first everything seemed okay. I got a job. And I started setting up auditions again. And then one day, one day my brother called me. He was just about to start the summer session at Georgetown. Your father made that happen, too. Turns out, my brother had been arrested. The cops found a pound of heroine in his car. My brother swore it wasn't his, but his prints were all over it. My brother begged me not to tell my mom, so I went to your father again. And he helped, just like always. Except this time, he expected payback."

"You liar. You lying bitch!" Victor called out.

"Dad…shut up! Let her talk," Martin said. "Don't listen to him, Lauren. I want to know what happened next." Silently, Martin stomach churned because she was basically filling in all the blanks that Danny had pieced together.

"He got my brother a lawyer. He told him not to talk. The DA was prepared to ask for a full sentence because he was caught so close to a school. Ten years! He would have gotten ten years. But a couple of weeks after my brother's first hearing, his lawyer got a call that the heroine was missing from evidence lock-up. The DA had to drop the charges. It was like a miracle. I came back to New York, thinking the nightmare was over. But it had just begun."

"What do you mean?" Martin asked, his stomach still in knots.

"When I got back to my apartment, he was waiting for me. I didn't even know he had a key. All of a sudden, there was something different about him. He was cold…distant."

_Hearing the clink of ice in a glass, Lauren's breath caught as she closed the door._

_"Mr. Fitzgerald…I…um…I wasn't expecting you," Lauren said as she hesitantly put her bag down. "How…um, who let you in?" she asked, almost feeling nervous._

"_I have a key," he replied in a quiet tone and then taking a drink of scotch._

_Lauren's eyes widened. "I, um, I'm sorry. I didn't know. Did you come for something specific? Did you hear the good news?"_

"_I heard. Michael is free and clear to start at Georgetown. Interesting development, wouldn't you say?"_

_Lauren nodded. "Once again, we, um, we appreciate everything you did."_

"_How much do you appreciate it?" he asked as he rose from the chair._

"_What?" Lauren asked, now completely nervous as she watched him walking towards her._

"_How much do you appreciate all I've done? Your brother, this apartment, helping your mother pay the bills…"_

"_I, um, I can't thank you enough. We can't thank you enough. I don't think we could ever repay—"_

_Victor continued to walk towards her as he looked her up and down. "There's something you could do to repay me."_

_Lauren's stomach turned as she took a step back. "Mr. Fitzgerald, I, I don't think—"_

"_It's not what you think. I don't want you to be my mistress. I just want you to help me play a kind of game," he said in a matter-of-fact tone._

_Her brows narrowing into a frown, she responded, "What…what kind of game?"_

"_I want you to go out tonight, find someone, and bring him back here."_

_Lauren just continued to look at him with a confused frown. _

"_It's simple really. I want you to have a one night stand with a stranger. I'm betting you've done it before. You'll wear a tight dress, you'll bring someone back here, and you'll let him fuck you, and I'll be watching—"_

_Lauren shook her head as she tried to hold back the tears that threatened. "Why would I? What—"_

"_You will because you owe me," he said as he stepped towards her._

"_Fuck you! I'll leave this apartment right now. I don't owe you anything," she said as she turned to walk out._

_Grabbing her arm, he spun her around and pinned her against the wall. "It's not the apartment. It's your brother. Your brother is free now because of me."_

_She tried to struggle out of his grasp, but couldn't. "Then go ask him to fuck someone. You sick son of a bitch. He'll tell you to go to hell, too."_

_Getting even closer to her, he spatted, "No. He'll just go straight to prison."_

"He planted the heroine, and he made it disappear. He said he could very easily make it reappear and my brother would go to prison. I didn't know what to do. I…I…knew he was powerful enough to make it happen. I now think he was planning everything from the moment he told my mother he'd help her after my dad's funeral."

"Christ," Martin muttered.

"You don't actually believe what she is saying, do you, Martin?" his father asked.

Martin ignored his father's question and asked Lauren, "Your mother and brother knew what was happening, didn't they?"

Lauren nodded. "I asked my mother what I should do. I thought she'd help me, but she said that her life and my brother's life would be ruined if I refused him. She told me that eventually he would get bored and move on. She either had no idea what a sick bastard he is or she just didn't care."

Martin shook his head as he tried to find the words to say to her. "Lauren, I…I…can't imagine…all I can say is that I will do whatever I can to help you and to make sure that he pays for what he's done. I—"

Lauren cut him off as she raised the gun. "It's not enough, Martin. I'm sorry."

* * *

"Jack! Jack! I have to get in there. Don't you understand? I can stop her."

"No. No way, Danny. Tactical is on its way. We have to wait for them. An FBI Deputy Director and a fellow agent are being held hostage in there. We have to follow procedure!"

"Goddamn it, Jack! Procedure? _You're_ preaching "procedure" to me? Give me fucking break!" Danny exclaimed as he looked from Jack to Sam.

"Jack—" Sam started as she became overwhelmed at watching Danny's desperation.

"I'm not going to lose two agents today," Jack replied, sounding just as desperate.

"Lauren won't shoot me!"

"Lauren Palmer has been abused and tortured for the last year, and her brother just tried to force her back into it. She's not in her right mind, Danny!" Jack pleaded.

Shaking his head, Danny started to back away toward the house. "You're going to have to shoot me, Jack, because I'm going in."


	14. Chapter 14

Notes: You're going to really hate me after this chapter. But there is only one chapter after this, and if I can, I'll try to finish it tonight.

Warning: Just another reminder that this is rated M for language, violence and some sexual content.

* * *

Stilling pointing the gun at Martin's head, Lauren looked more and more agitated. "This isn't right. This isn't how I wanted it to be."

"How did you want it to be, Lauren?" Martin responded, trying to stay calm despite feeling like he could die at any moment.

"I wanted him to admit it. I wanted him—"

"Lauren," a soft voice called out from the hallway.

Turning her head, Lauren strained to see who was in the shadows. Swinging the gun around, she pointed it at the form in the hallway.

"Stop! Don't come any closer! I'll shoot…I swear---"

"Lauren, it's me. It's Danny," he said as he came out of the shadows. "It's just me."

"No! No!" she cried. "You're not supposed to be here. Oh God…I…I told you to come alone!" she yelled as she pointed the gun at Martin again.

Martin started to respond, but Danny spoke again.

"It's not his fault, Lauren. _None of this_ is his fault," Danny said as he continued to walk towards her. "I'm here because I can help you. We have to get out of here right now and let them go. Give me the gun, Lauren."

Turning to him, she pointed the gun. "No! I don't want you here," she cried. "I don't want you to be a part of this. Please…just go….please, Danny. Please!"

Shaking his head, Danny stopped when he was just inches away from the pointed gun. "I'm not going anywhere. And I'm not going to let you kill an innocent man. That's not you, Lauren. Killing him won't make any of this go away, baby," he pleaded. "This isn't what you wanted to do? Is it?" he asked as he glanced at Martin. "You didn't want to involve, Martin. You just wanted it end, right? And it got out of control. Everyone will understand that. It just got out of control, didn't it?"

Nodding, Lauren sank to the floor in front of him. Still clutching the gun, she told them how they all got there.

_Sitting at the foot of the bed, Lauren cried uncontrollably. Her brother had left a half hour ago. She'd finally given in and told him she'd stay. She hadn't known what else to do or say. _

_Her cell phone interrupted her crying. Sniffing and trying to get herself under control, she answered the phone._

"_Hello."_

"_I understand you're at the apartment now?" he asked in a chilling voice._

_Recognizing Victor's voice, Lauren felt sick to her stomach. "You're a monster," was all she could think of to say._

"_This actually works better for me," he continued as if she hadn't said anything. "I'm in D.C. much more frequently. I'll be there tonight sometime after midnight. You can expect a visitor shortly after I arrive. Wear the black."_

"I knew I had to get away or die trying. I could do it anymore. I couldn't," Lauren said as she looked up at Danny. "I left the apartment, took a cab to my mother's and then stole her car. The only reason she didn't report it missing was because she knew it would lead to him being exposed."

"Why didn't you come back to New York?" Danny asked in a gentle tone. "I...I would have helped you."

"You don't know how much I wanted to. But he set my brother up…I was terrified to think of what he'd do to you…your family…your career. I couldn't…I couldn't jeopardize you like that. I couldn't," she said as tears streamed down her face. "So I started to drive south instead."

"What happened outside of Richmond, Virginia? That's where they found your mom's car. Who's blood was in the car? Did someone try to hurt you?" he asked as he reached out to touch the bruises around her neck, but she flinched and back away, still with a tight grip on the gun.

"My mother must have called him as soon as she realized I'd taken the car…because he found me within a couple of hours. I was driving on the Interstate, and it was getting late. I was tired, so I pulled off at a rest stop to sleep for a while.

_After using the lady's room at the rest area, Lauren made her way back to the car. Spotting a black SUV a few parking spaces away from her, she began to feel nervous. The rest area was vacant except for her car and the SUV. She moved as quickly as possible to get to the car, and then reached out to open her door. Before she could react, she felt someone rush up behind her and pin her against her car. Then just as quickly, he spun her around and slammed her back against the car. _

_It was him, Victor Fitzgerald. He kept one hand on her throat while his other hand twisted her arm behind her back._

"_I thought I said we were playing our game tonight? Did you not hear me right?" he whispered in her ear._

_Completely terrified, Lauren felt like she was an animal caught in a trap. "Please…please let me go. I can't do this anymore."_

"_Why? Because you're in love with him? I told you, he could be a part of the game, too."_

"_No! No!" Lauren pleaded." He has nothing to do with this. I'm never going to see him again. I just can't…I just—"_

"_It's the only thing that makes you worth a damn. Don't fight me on this. You'll lose," he said as he tightened her twisted arm even more._

_Cringing with pain and taking a breath, Lauren responded. "Let go of me. I'll go back with you," she said in a defeated tone._

_Just as he started to loosen his grip and move away, she pulled her arm away and took a swing at him using her key as a weapon. The key gashed at his face and he winced in pain. She tried to run, but he recovered too quickly and grabbed her arm. Grabbing the keys out of her hand, he opened the back door of the car, pushed her down onto the back seat and got on top of her._

_He put his hands around her neck again and squeezed. There was blood dripping from his cheekbone, as he was taking her breath away. But suddenly he stopped right before she could pass out. Gasping for breath, Lauren started to cry again. For a moment, she had hoped that he would just kill her, but instead he seemed intent on punishing her._

_He stayed on top of her as she started to breath normally again. Looking up at him, she saw pure evil in his eyes. She couldn't understand why he wasn't moving away from her, and then she felt him move above her, and a feeling of dread overwhelmed her._

"_It's time, once and for all, for you to understand. You belong to me. I should have broken you myself a long time ago," he stated in a sinister, cold tone.._

_She heard the sound of a zipper unzipping._

"_You're mine," was the the last thing he said to her._

_

* * *

__Her mind raced with ways to get away from him…to make him stop. Trying to feel around on the floor of the back seat, she grabbed for a flashlight under the seat. He hadn't been paying attention as he moved above her. Running on pure adrenaline and fear, she swung and struck his head as hard as she could. He was knocked out immediately._

"After he passed out, I got out from beneath him. I think I was in shock because I don't even remember putting him in the SUV. All I remember is finding myself driving back to New York with his gun in my hand. That's when I thought about calling Martin. It's the only way I thought he'd suffer. This house belongs to a friend of mine who's away in LA. I had a key to water her plants. I got him in here and cuffed him to the chair. And then I waited until he woke up, and called Martin," Lauren relayed in a surprising calm tone.

Danny was now sitting across from her on the floor. A few times, he'd tried to comfort her, but she hadn't wanted him to touch her. Occasionally, he'd lock eyes with Martin as she told them the horrific tale, but what he hadn't done was look at Victor.

Not knowing what else he could say to Lauren, he stood up and took out his gun.

"Danny…Danny, what are you doing?" Martin asked. He'd seen the cold look in Danny's eyes and knew what Danny intended to do.

Victor had been looking down the whole time, but upon hearing Martin's voice, he looked up and met Danny's glare.

Taking a few steps toward Victor, Danny raised his gun and aimed. "Explain to me how you could hurt someone so much? All for what? For your own sick, sadistic pleasure?"

Victor shook his head. "She's lying. She's lying."

"Then why is your blood in her car in Virginia?" Danny asked.

"Her mother asked me to help find her—"

Shaking his head, Danny yelled, "Shut up! Shut. Up!"

Quickly, Danny flipped the safety off his gun. "You…you don't deserve to live. And she shouldn't have to pay for killing you. She's suffered enough—"

"Danny! Danny! No!" Martin shouted.

Ignoring Martin, Danny moved closer and put the gun to Victor's head. "See you in hell."

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Lauren called out, "Don't…please don't do this, Danny. Please! He's not worth it."

Danny closed his eyes when he heard her voice.

"I'm going to let Martin go," Lauren continued. "Just like you asked me to."

Turning, he watched as she left the gun on the floor and stood up. She walked behind Martin and uncuffed his wrists.

"It's over, Danny. I'll do whatever you tell me to do. But you don't have to kill him for me. I'd die if something happened to you because of me," Lauren said as she walked towards him.

As if awakening from a trance, Danny put the safety on his gun and holstered it. Then, he slowly walked over to Lauren.

Lauren just sighed in relief as she wiped a couple of tears from her eyes.

Martin rose from the chair and approached them.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked, careful not to make eye contact with this father.

"Jack followed us here," Danny replied not taking his eyes off of Lauren. "There's probably a tactical team out there right now."

"So that means…" Martin started, but then stopped.

Biting her lip, Lauren said, "That means they are going to arrest me."

Danny nodded. "Do you trust me?"

"Yes," she answered emphatically.

"You're going to surrender to the authorities, but you aren't going to say a word. I'll get you a lawyer, and we'll figure everything out."

Lauren nodded in agreement as she seemed to get strength from just looking into his eyes.

"Martin, can you uncuff him?" Danny asked as he looked at Victor. "This will go easier if you and him go out first."

"Right," Martin replied quietly as he took the keys from Lauren and walked over to his father.

As soon as Martin approached him, Victor started talking. "I'll prove that she's lying when we—"

"Stop it. Just stop it. I don't want hear your voice right now," Martin said as he uncuffed Victor.

Victor took a few moments to gather himself as Martin headed for the door.

"I'll call you on the two-way, as soon as Tactical says they are ready," Martin said.

"Okay," Danny replied as he kept his eyes focused on Lauren.

"You're going to be okay. I'll tell them to take you to the hospital, so you won't have to go to jail. And then we'll expedite a bail hearing. It's over, Lauren. Okay?" he said as he reached out to stroke her arms.

This time, she let him touch her as she felt an overwhelming since of relief. "Yeah, okay—"

"Dad! Dad! No!" Martin called out.

Danny looked up to see Victor aiming a gun at Lauren. Making a quick move to shield her, he heard the gun go off.


	15. Chapter 15

"_You want to kiss me, don't you?" she asked as stood with her back against the railing that overlooked the river._

_They were standing so close to one another that it was amazing their bodies weren't touching, his arms grasping the rail on either side of her. He'd leaned down to whisper something into her ear, but he let his lips linger for a moment next to her cheek._

_They'd only seen each other a few times since they'd first met, but this is was what all their encounters were like. _

"_Would that be a bad thing?" he asked and now his lips were centimeters away from hers._

_She smiled. "I don't think you should kiss me. It would be impossible to go back to this…this uncomplicated place, after you kiss me."_

_"Let's be honest here," he said as his lips finally landed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "It's already pretty complicated, kiss or no kiss."_

The blood was pouring out of her, and Danny wasn't even sure where it was all coming from. Victor had gotten off at least four rounds before Martin tackled him to the ground. She was looking up at him with frightened eyes, but she couldn't speak. Danny kept moving his hands around trying to stop the bleeding, but it was no use.

"It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay, baby," he kept saying to her in between shouting for the paramedics.

And then he saw a tear stream out of her eye as she tried to speak, but instead of words, he saw blood.

"Don't…don't say anything. Just keep your eyes on mine. Just look at me. Look at me," he pleaded as he rested his bloody hand on her cheek, but slowly the life in her eyes faded. And he knew he'd lost her.

After the paramedics entered the house, Jack and Sam pulled Danny away from Lauren's lifeless body.

"Danny…Danny…you're bleeding," Jack said as he looked at Danny's arm.

"It was her…there was…there was so much blood," Danny replied in dazed state.

"No, Danny, it's you. Your shoulder and your arm. They look like through and throughs," Jack said as he tried to guide Danny out to a waiting ambulance.

"Oh…God," Danny said as it hit him. When he'd shielded Lauren, the bullets ripped through him and hit her.

As Danny walked outside, he saw Martin being tended to by a paramedic. And then he searched the crowd as his eyes finally rested on Victor talking to agents.

"Why…why isn't he in cuffs?" Danny asked as he looked at Jack. "Why isn't he in cuffs? He just killed a woman!" Danny shouted. "Why the hell isn't he in cuffs?"

All the agents and police in the vicinity were staring at him now as he continued to shout.

Martin came rushing towards him as Jack and Sam tried to hold him back from confronting Victor and the agents around him.

"Danny, we have to give our statements. After we do that, they'll arrest him. Right now, it looks like self-defense," Martin said in a restrained tone. "You need to let the paramedics look at your shoulder, man."

"No, he needs to go to jail! It's not right. She's dead, Martin! She's dead!" Danny cried out just as the coroner rolled out the gurney with the body bag.

* * *

**Twelve Hours Later**

"Agent Fitzgerald, are you saying that Ms. Palmer kidnapped Victor Fitzgerald in self-defense?" the detective asked.

Martin had been giving his statement for the last two hours. He knew that Danny had been in before him, but the detectives hadn't given much credence to what he'd told them. Jack had informed Martin that Danny was still in shock and behaving erratically. After much pleading, Jack had finally convinced Danny to spend the night in the hospital where the doctors gave him a heavy dose of sedative to calm him down.

So now it was up to Martin to convince the detectives that his father was not only at fault, but also a sadistic monster.

"Yes sir, that's exactly what I'm saying. She was trying to get away from him. That's why her car was in Richmond. When he finally caught up to her, she defended herself while he was…um…he was…he was sexually assaulting her," Martin admitted, voice full of shame. "After she knocked him out, she acted irrationally because she was in shock, as you can imagine."

"But she kidnapped you as well. She was rational about that, yeah?"

"No, sir. That's inaccurate. She called me to tell me she had my father. I was in that house willingly and not under duress," Martin lied. He'd decided that was the only way he could help Lauren now that she was gone.

"Agent Taylor said—"

"Agent Taylor was mistaken. He just watched this woman die, and he's obviously still in shock. Lauren Palmer did not kidnap me. I went in to the house first to convince her to let my father go. Then Agent Taylor came. When he came in, she agreed to surrender peacefully."

"What happened as you started to exit the house?"

"Agent Taylor was telling Ms. Palmer that they would go out as soon as tactical had secured my father. I started to open the door because I thought my father was right behind me, but when I looked back, he'd pick up a gun—"

"What gun?" the detective asked.

"It was his gun. Ms. Palmer had it until Danny had convinced her to put it down. I should have secured the weapon before going out the door, but I didn't. That was my mistake," Martin said, voiced full of guilt. "Um, I looked back and my father was aiming at Lauren. I shouted something. Danny looked over and immediately turned to shield Lauren, but he'd already fired. It happened so fast. Both Danny and Lauren went down. I took my father down and took away the weapon. The next thing I knew tactical was in the house, and Danny was trying to stop Lauren's bleeding."

The detective took a few notes, and then took a short breath before asking his next question. "Do you really believe that your father, the deputy director of the FBI, is actually responsible for all the heinous acts that Agent Taylor accused him of in his statement."

Martin nodded. "Yes sir, unfortunately, I do believe it."

"We've talked to the Palmers. They aren't corroborating anything in Agent Taylor's statement. They are saying that Lauren was mentally disturbed. They are saying she invented everything."

"They're lying" Martin replied simply.

"Can you prove that, Agent Fitzgerald?"

"Yes, sir. I can"

_Six Hours Earlier_

_As Martin took the shuttle plane down to D.C., he racked his brain trying to think of where his father would hide his hidden life, and then it hit him. His parents had a rental property in D.C that they hadn't rented out in years. Occasionally, they'd let friends or family stay at the property, but it hadn't had long-term tenants in the last ten years. _

_Jack had told Martin not to go, but Martin had felt it was his duty to Danny and even to Lauren to find out the truth about his father._

_As soon as he landed, he took a cab to the rental property. He didn't have a key so he broke the window on the back door. After he let himself in, he made his way down to the basement, knowing there was a makeshift office down there._

_Since the office door was locked, he had to kick it open. At first glance, the office looked innocuous. He pried open drawer after drawer without finding anything. And then his eyes drifted over to an armoire. The armoire was locked as well, so Martin picked the lock. As soon as the door opened, Martins' heart started to beat faster. _

_There were stacks and stacks of labeled DVDs, along with a DVD player and a television. Martin didn't want to go any further, but knew he didn't have a choice. He turned on the TV and then pressed play on the DVD player. _

_He only had to watch a few seconds to realize it was Lauren and Danny. Feeling sick to his stomach, he pressed stop. Forcing himself to continue, he took out the DVD and replaced it with a DVD marked 'L Only'. After pressing play again, Martin saw Lauren in the small room that Jack had told him about. Her wrists and legs were restrained with leather straps. In the background, he heard his father's voice saying awful, horrible things to her. Martin turned that one off quickly as well._

"I requested Metro police have a guard watch the house, until you can send someone down to process the scene," Martin said as he tried to remain professional. "From what the little I saw, it appears he's been escalating this…this sickness for the last several years. I think he used prostitutes before Lauren."

The stunned detective didn't respond. He just nodded as he rose from the table, leaving Martin to take a deep breath.

* * *

Two Weeks Later

Taking a deep breath, Danny stepped off the elevator. Slowly, he walked towards Jack's office. As he approached the door, he saw that Sam and Vivian were in the office with Jack. He lightly knocked on the door before entering.

"Hey," he said quietly.

Both Vivian and Samantha smiled when they saw him.

"Hey," Vivian said as she walked towards him. Gingerly, she put her arms around him in a warm embrace, being careful of his arm that was still in a sling.

Sam hugged him next. "We've all missed you," she whispered in his ear.

"Are you sure you're ready to come back?" Jack asked from behind them.

Danny shrugged. "It's better than sitting at home, right? I'm fine. Really. Um, is…is Martin here?"

Jack shook his head. "Uh, no, he's not here right now."

"Well, I wanted to tell you guys all at the same time, but I guess I'll catch up with him later. Um, I just…I wanted to say thanks for all your help over the last couple of weeks. You've been really great…being at the funeral…and um, just being there. It's meant a lot," Danny said in a slightly stammering, nervous tone.

"We're just glad you're doing better," Vivian said as she squeezed his arm. "We better get back to work," she said, glancing at Samantha.

"Right," Sam responded. "See you out there," she said as she passed Danny.

"Why don't you sit for a minute?" Jack said as he motioned to the chair across from him

Nodding, Danny took a seat in the chair. "I'm guessing its desk duty until my arm heals?"

"You guessed right," Jack replied with a small smile. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"What? Are you worried about my mental state? I know I was messed up right after, but I'm better. It's been hard, but I'm getting better."

"Good. That's good to hear," Jack responded. "I also wanted to show you this," he said as he handed Danny some papers.

Danny glanced at the papers and frowned. "Transfer papers? For Martin?"

"He gave them to me last week. He's requesting a transfer to Violent Crimes in D.C."

"Why?"

Jack shrugged. "It's pretty obvious why."

* * *

Martin sat in what felt like his fiftieth NA meeting since finding out about his father. He felt like it was the only thing that was stopping him from falling into the abyss.

About halfway through the meeting, he noticed that someone took a seat in the row behind him. Glancing back quickly, he was shocked to see Danny.

When the meeting ended, Martin didn't make a move to get up. Instead, Danny got up and took the seat that was just vacated next to him.

"What are you doing here?" Martin asked as he kept his eyes focused on the front of the room.

"Just felt the need to come to a meeting."

"This is an NA meeting, Danny."

"Yeah, I know. I'm familiar with the concept," Danny replied with a smirk. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you, and you're not returning my phone calls."

"I'm sure Jack told you about the transfer, so I know what this is about. You don't have to take the high road, Danny. You deserve to not have to work with…"

"Work with who? You? Why wouldn't I want to keep working with you?"

"Because of what my father did. He—"

Danny put his hand on Martin's arm. "Don't. Don't say it. I'm trying to make myself not think about it every second of the day," Danny interrupted and then sighed slightly before continuing. "But here's the thing, Martin. You're not your father. Thank God…none of us are our fathers. And you did the most unbelievable, courageous thing when by giving that statement and finding all the evidence against him."

"He's going to get away with it, Danny," Martin replied in a desperate, regretful tone. "He has friends in high places that are covering everything up. My mother is even standing by him because she can't believe he's capable of being so…so evil. The FBI is making him retire, but it's been two weeks and there have been no charges brought against him. You shouldn't have to work with someone who's a constant reminder of that."

Taking a deep breath, Danny rubbed his temples. "I still have hope that he'll pay for what he's done, but I have to let it go. Just like you have to let it go. It will be much harder for both of us to do that if you transfer."

"I should have secured the gun—"

"Martin…stop…just stop. You can't look back, man. It's over, and…and she's gone," Danny interrupted as he tried to contain his anger and emotions.

* * *

**One Week Later**

Danny was still on desk duty, and he was bored out of his mind. He missed being out in the field and yearned for more work that would keep his mind off Lauren and Martin's father.

Martin rescinded his transfer and was back at work. While things weren't as comfortable with Martin as they were before, it was getting better everyday. The fact that his father still hadn't been charged in Lauren's murder was still frustrating, but there was very little Danny could do about that.

Lauren was never far from his thoughts. He still wasn't sure what they were to each other, but he knew that he missed her and still felt terribly guilty for not being able to save her.

"Danny," an agent called out as she approached him.

"Yeah."

"There's a woman named Robin Phillips here to see you. I put her in the visitor's conference room downstairs."

Frowning, Danny had to think for a few minutes to remember the name and then it came to him. "Thanks," he responded as he got up from his chair.

Stepping off the elevator, Danny made his way down the hall and then entered the conference room.

As soon as he entered, Robin looked up and gave him a small smile. "Agent Taylor, thanks for seeing me."

"I'm surprised you're here. What's this about?" Danny asked in a warm but skeptical tone.

"I, um, I saw you at Lauren's funeral. I wanted to say something to you, but—"

"I was still pretty angry at her funeral. I probably didn't look very approachable."

"Yeah," Robin responded. "It was so sad. I…I still can't believe that her family isn't coming forward to support her now."

Danny shrugged. "Self-preservation, I guess."

For a moment, they didn't say anything. The silence becoming a bit uncomfortable, Danny said, "Listen, it was nice to see you. I know you cared about Lauren. You were one of the only people to really help me when she was missing, so thanks…for stopping by." He started to rise from the table.

"Wait. I, um, I have something for you. Like I said, I wanted to give it to you at the funeral, but it didn't seem like the right time. And then I questioned whether I should give it to you at all…maybe you just want to forget about her. But then I thought that maybe this would help you find some closure," she said as she reached into her purse and pulled out a DVD case.

Taking the case from her, Danny inspected it for a minute. "What's on it?"

"Remember when I told you that Lauren volunteered to be one of my therapy patients?"

Danny nodded.

"Well, we videotape our sessions, so we can go back and review what we did right and what we did wrong. After I heard that Lauren had attempted suicide, I reviewed her sessions over and over again to see if I could have helped her differently. And then I came across this," Robin said as she motioned to the DVD.

"I don't know if I should have this," Danny responded in an uncomfortable tone.

"Ethically, you probably shouldn't, but I really think that Lauren would want you to see this. She had to be so guarded when she was with you, but when she talked about you with me, she could be more open. She would want you to see this. I know she would."

* * *

He'd had the DVD for over a week, but hadn't had the courage to watch it. Parts of him thought he should just leave it alone and move on since watching it wouldn't bring Lauren back. But then he realized that as much as he tried to bury his feelings and tell everyone he was okay, he still ached every day.

Maybe watching it would be the only way to bring closure and would help him to continue grieving, instead of just trying to forget she was ever a part of his life.

He took the DVD out, put it in the player, and then sat on the edge of the coffee table right in front of his TV.

His breath caught when he first saw her appear on screen. He paused it on her face for moment. He'd almost forgotten how stunningly beautiful she was, even without any make-up and her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

Taking another deep breath, he pressed play again.

_"You're looking especially radiant today," Robin said from off-camera._

_Lauren smiled widely. "Am I?" she asked coyly._

Danny paused it again and almost stopped it completely, seeing her smile almost too much to bear.

But he pressed play again.

"_You're still seeing the FBI agent, aren't you?"_

_Lauren nodded._

"_It's going well?"_

_Her smile faded slightly. "It's going really well. I've never experienced anything like this before."_

"_You're falling in love."_

_Lauren shrugged as she stopped smiling. "I don't think I can allow myself to fall in love."_

"_Then what is it with this man?"_

"_He's my friend. And he genuinely cares about me. No one has ever made me feel like that before."_

"_Cared for?"_

_Lauren nodded. "Yeah. When I'm with him, he makes me forget about all the awful stuff. He makes me laugh. And he makes me feel safe. For the first time in my life, I don't feel fear or dread when a man, Danny, touches me."_

"_Do you ever think that you'll be able to have a real relationship with him?"_

_Lauren smiled again. "I actually had a dream about that the other night. I was older. It was a different time and place, but we were together. I could feel him holding my hand. And there I felt…I felt…"_

"_Felt what?"_

"_I didn't feel dirty anymore. I didn't feel the chaos that I feel now. I just felt clean and peaceful."_

"_Maybe you'll have that with him some day."_

"_Maybe," Lauren responded, but there was skepticism in her eyes. "Right now, I just try to hold on to my happy moments with him. It makes the dark times almost bearable. Even if the last time I saw Danny was the last time I could ever see him, it would be okay because he's given me the memories of something so good and pure and joyful. No matter what happens, I'll carry that with me forever."_

End note: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I had this story in my mind for a while and finally found the courage to post it. I'm sorry for killing Lauren, but that was my plan all along. As I wrote the story, I actually thought about keeping her alive at the end, because I liked her so much – but I think this story was too dark to have a sappy ending. Also, I'm pretty sure this is the only fanfic I will write, so thanks, MariaLisa, Ninz, UkeleleBoy, and Zonya, thanks for your encouragement as I wrote it.


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